From Light to Dark
by audrey23
Summary: Klaus leaves Caroline after many years together so that she will be safe, but what if they are safest with each other?
1. Chapter 1

Caroline surfaced from the aquamarine colored water, soaking in the sun that beamed down on her in the water. She swam up to their hotel room and went to pull herself up onto the ladder connecting their balcony to the perfect Bora Bora Sea. To put it simply, she loved it here.

As she pulled herself out of the water and climbed up the ladder she looked down at her feet, not quite ready to stop staring at the perfect color of the water below her. She reached the top and went to step onto the deck when a pair of feet on the edge stopped her.

She looked up to find a pair of blue green eyes smiling down at her in amusement.

"You're up early love"

Caroline giggled as he pulled her to him. As he kissed him, she used his closed eyes as an opportunity to surprise him and quickly spun them off the edge of the balcony straight back down into the ocean.

Once they both resurfaced from its shallow depth, Klaus grabbed her by the waist and pulled her close as they floated languidly in the water. Caroline held onto him as they kissed, only pulling back from his delicious lips to smile lazily at him.

"I just couldn't sleep with all this right outside the door. I think out of everywhere we've been, this is my favorite."

"Really?" He said, a slightly mischievous glint in his eye to accompany all the love shining out of them at her, only for her.

"Not Paris?" He asked placing a gentle kiss on her forehead.

Before Caroline could answer he placed another sweet peck by her ear, "not Rome?"

Again Caroline went to answer and again he hushed her with a kiss on the nose "not Tokyo?"

Caroline didn't answer this time knowing now where this game was headed. She just smiled and attempted to duck her head.

"Not Bali?" kiss.

"Or India?" kiss.

"Or Spain?" kiss.

Caroline just giggled, hugging herself tighter to him, wrapping her legs around his waist as he continued to kiss every part of her face and neck, naming all the different places they had been.

"I love them all okay!" she said exasperated but still laughing.

"I'm just checking love," he said finally returning to kissing her lips again.

Caroline pulled away and looked at him, both her hands wrapped around his neck, playing with the perfect curls at his nape. Looking deep into those eyes she whispered some of his favorite words "I love you."

She said it to him often, knowing that although after all this time he believed it, but also knowing he needed the affirmations. And why shouldn't she tell him? After everything he did to prove himself worthy of being loved and capable of loving her so much in return, he deserved to be told and to feel it as often as possible.

"And I you," he whispered back to her, "you my angel, are perfect."

Caroline didn't know about that, but she did think this moment was. The two of them, here, like this, after all the time it took them to get here, to just be with each other, just as in love as they were. This was as close to heaven as she would ever be in this life.

xxx

Klaus was as close to hell as he had ever been. He lay behind Caroline on their large bed; stroking her hair and making sure she was deep within the dream he was giving her; One of her favorite memories of the two of them. She couldn't feel the way he stroked her hair, and she wouldn't remember him kissing her cheek and forehead. These actions were for selfish reasons alone because once he stopped. Once he got out of their bed and walked out into the wet drizzling morning, he would never have the acute pleasure of these things again. He would never have her again.

He reminded himself for the millionth time over the last few weeks that this was for the best. That she would be safer if his enemies believed he had walked away from her without a second glance. It had all been arranged. He had spoken to Stefan and also to Elijah about looking out for her as well as a few still sired hybrids who were commanded to be vigilant but out of sight. She would be safest this way; it was the best thing for her.

It was cruel he thought, that after a thousand years alone waiting for someone to be by his side, waiting for her, that after all that he could not have her for even a full two decades, but after all the threats she had faced by his side, after the last close call; seeing how close he had been to really losing her, he had made the decision that to keep her safe, he would leave.

He had tried to fight it. It wasn't in his nature to give up, or to accept defeat. He was King. He did not lose. Every time there was a threat he fended it off, usually with ease, sometimes barely but nonetheless, all were dealt with. But there were consequences with each new danger. In the aftermath of each, he held onto her a little tighter and she was slowly suffocating. Though she understood why the extra security was needed for her safety and his piece of mind, it had started to take its toll.

She was also losing her light. This was what bothered him the most. In all the adversity he had seen her face, that light never went out, it barely flickered, but after being the target of threats and attacks time and time again she was beginning to allow some of the darkness to seep in.

When the possibility of them being together really become a possibility and not just a hopeful fantasy of his, he had asked her what was constantly holding her back. They had been on good terms for years. She had forgiven him for some of the deaths he had been responsible for and he had allowed that mutt Tyler to live free. It seemed to him that there was very little in their way and yet she was never completely willing to let him in, or to just let herself be with him. He finally lost his patience and asked her why. Her answer both surprised and angered him.

"I'm afraid, I'll lose myself in all this darkness." She said quietly, "You were right, all that time ago you were right. There is an appeal, and a quality about darkness that can draw you in, but I love who I've become. I love that through everything I've been through, I am still happy, and optimistic, and hopeful. I won't lose that." And Klaus would never let her. It was one of the many reasons he loved her, and he had vowed in that moment to himself and in later years to her that that would not happen.

But life had gotten in the way of that promise and he had to make a choice. Either walk away, allow her to grieve and then to move on without fear, or to stay with her and risk the day coming when she really would turn the light off.

When the last attack on them had been a close call was when he had decided that enough was enough. She had taught him not to be selfish, and now with her, he wouldn't be. He would leave her and in turn keep her safe. He would always watch out for her from a distance, but he would not interfere. She would go on to live a full and happy life without fear and without threats. He would on to exist so that she could as well. It wouldn't be living without her, but that was not his priority, she was.

He had left her a letter explaining everything he knew he would never be able to tell her face to face for fear his resolve would break if he looked into her eyes, and a vile of his blood for emergencies and that would be it.

Klaus looked over at the clock, seeing it was now 4 am. He needed to leave soon if he wanted to get enough of a head start so that she wouldn't be able to track him.

Caroline turned in her sleep to face him and he stilled as her arms readjusted around him.

With tears streaming down his face, he slowly pulled her arms away from him and with a great amount of pain to his heart moved out of her reach. He sat on the edge of their bed and bent down to kiss her forehead one more time.

"I will always love you," he whispered.

With that he wrenched himself off of their bed and out the their house into the night. He didn't turn back, knowing if he did, he couldn't walk away. He drove off and couldn't see anything in front of him but the dark sky ahead.


	2. Chapter 2

**Hi all!**

**So first of all, thank you to everyone who favored/followed/ reviewed last chapter! Anyone on here who writes understands how important each and every one of those is. Please feel free to leave constructive reviews for this story; they don't have to be only positive. **

**I've decided to continue this story but am not sure where it's headed so I won't promise any sort of updating schedule. Thank you again and I hope you enjoy!**

Caroline was not the kind of woman who took her time getting up. She did not lie in bed contemplating her day, or rubbing the sleep from her eyes. She was the type of woman who from the moment she opened her eyes, was ready to face the world and all it had to offer.

There were exceptions to that rule though. For example, when Caroline woke up with a sleeping Klaus beside her, she would often just watch him sleep, loving the way his face was so peaceful looking and the way his full lips parted in his sleep. Those were often the times she might sneak out to get breakfast for the two of them to eat in bed or would wake him up by covering him in kisses. Sometimes if she were in the mood those kisses were trailed down his chest as she would slowly pull the covers away from him exposing more and more of him…

Today was not one of those days though. Today Caroline woke up in bed alone. This happened a lot and she didn't think anything of it. As per her normal routine she listened for Klaus to be wandering around the house downstairs, but still there was nothing.

This wasn't exactly rare either as there were often times where Klaus started his day long before Caroline or when he would go out, not coming back for sometime in the day. Caroline was in the process of thinking if he had mentioned anything to her lately about having to leave this early when she noticed an envelope on their bedside table that hadn't been there the night before. Caroline found these sorts of notes a lot when she woke up alone. Sometimes they contained one word lines like "coffee," sometimes they contained no words at all, but instead sketches he'd done of her while she slept.

Smiling, Caroline reached across the bed to grab the envelope noticing its thickness as she took it in hand. She tore open the envelope and pulled out the filled few pages, beginning to read. After a few lines though her smiled began to fade. She kept waiting for the words to make sense, or for some sort of "haha this was all a joke" because right now what she was reading, she couldn't understand… "You mean so much to me….doing this to protect you…be happy…I love you even if I am not with you."

Caroline reached the end of the letter. With a shaky breath, she folded it up neatly and placed it in the drawer on her nightstand, and then she sat; numb. This couldn't be happening. Klaus wouldn't leave her. It wasn't in him. Caroline was perfectly aware of how much he adored her. She saw it in his every look, touch, kiss, and that's when it sunk in. He loved her. He loved her enough to keep her safe, even if that meant losing her.

"Ass hole" was her immediate thought. "Stupid, ignorant, ass hole for not coming to me, and asking me how I felt about everything." This was just like him to leave without a word, to make a huge life altering decision for them without consulting her first.

"When I find him, I am going to kill him," she muttered under her breath when another sickening thought appeared. She wouldn't be able to find him. Klaus had spent almost a thousand years running. If he wanted to disappear, he would, and no one, not even those who knew him best would be able to track him down.

It was with that thought, that she knew she had little to no time to catch him. She jumped out of bed throwing on the first things she could find, grabbing her purse and phone and rushing outside of the house.

The first thing she did as she drove onto the road was to dial his number. She figured the first place to try would be the airport, thinking if that were his plan then maybe she could catch him before he got on a plane, or at least find his car and then deduce where he might have headed. There were only so many flights in one morning. As the phone went to voicemail, she couldn't keep the seething tones out of her voice as she yelled into the receiver.

"You ass Klaus Michelson! This is over you and me? You will wish this were over by the time I am through with you for pulling this little stunt! You can't just decide to leave a relationship without consulting me Klaus, God! Come home –"

It was then that the operator cut her off, saying she had reached her time limit. Part of Caroline was happy, as her voice had begun to crack at the last two words of her message.

As she drove onto the highway, she immediately redialed his number and again she got his voice mail. This time instead of yelling she took a deep breath and steeled her voice trying to hide the dread creeping up on her anger.

"Klaus I know what you're trying to do okay? I know you think that this is for me and I'll be better without you but that's not true. Just come home. Whatever this is about we can figure it out together all right? I love you, call me back."

It was soon after hanging up the phone that she arrived at the airport. She rushed through the different gates, compelling security along the way. When she couldn't find him that way, she compelled a few more people and got into the security room to check the cameras but after hours of searching through footage, she couldn't find him there at all.

Realizing he had never come through the airport, she got up and went back to her car.

She was trying to keep the sinking feeling in her stomach from becoming too pronounced and the best way to do that she thought was to stay productive. It was then as she reached her car that she took out her phone and dialed a different number.

"Hi sweetie," Caroline's mothers voice rang in her ear.

"Hi Mom, sorry to bug you. I was actually just calling to ask for a favor," she said trying to keep her voice sounding light.

"Oh I see, first you don't visit nearly enough and now you need a favor," Liz teased on the other side of the line. "What is it? Are you alright?" She asked her voice going from playful to concerned in a second.

Caroline had to take a deep breath before answering, trying not to break down and tell her mom everything "Oh yeah everything is good. I was just wondering if you could use one of your contacts at the station to track a license plate for me?


	3. Chapter 3

**Hi Guys **

**So here is chapter three. There's not a lot of action but it kind of hints at some things to come so keep reading, and of course review!**

**Thank you to everyone for your support**

Klaus sat in a truck stop bar off a highway attempting to drown himself in cheap booze and the blood of whatever bar fly happened to stumble in. It had been five days since he had left her and already he thought he was going to go crazy if this was what the rest of his life looked like. He had finally allowed himself to listen to her messages early this morning, after he couldn't for the life of him fall asleep. It had been a poor decision. If his resolve was starting to slip prior to listening, it was hanging by a thread when he was through.

The first had almost made him laugh, hearing how angry she sounded at him. He was proud of her too in a way. She didn't break down and he knew she wouldn't beg him to come home, but it had given him a sense of pride at how angry she was. How she would use this as an excuse to tell him what an idiot he was. It just affirmed how strong and completely unique she was. No one else dared talk to the Hybrid King that way save for Caroline.

The second one hadn't been so easy to listen to. He wanted nothing more than to listen to her words and allow them to convince him that going back to her would solve everything and that they would be fine. All it had taken though was a few memories of a millennium on the run to know better.

When cheap scotch and the blood of whoever was on the barstool next to him were no longer enough to keep the memories at bay, Klaus wandered back to his motel room and laid down, finally allowing the memories of Caroline to seep in. Maybe it was the message on his phone, but the memory he found himself replaying was another one where she had gotten angry with him.

xxx

London looked good, Klaus thought to himself. Sure it wasn't the adventurous, and dangerous spot it had once been but it was also cleaner, and more advanced, so that was something. As appealing as everything looked though, Klaus wasn't here to sightsee. Klaus was here for her. When Caroline had called him and asked for them to meet here, he had willingly agreed, both hopeful and curious as to why.

The request to meet wasn't as peculiar as it might once have been. Even after Klaus left Mystic Falls for New Orleans they had stayed in touch. She had visited him a few times for one reason or another, and he had in return met up with her when she finally started travelling. He had been at her University graduation, cheering as she received her degree. She had been at one of his art shows, conversing with critics about who the mysterious painter was who kept himself anonymous. The point was, over the years they had become friends in more than name only. Yes, they both silently acknowledged that Klaus was in love with her, more and more so as time went on, and they also seemed to have a mutual understanding that Caroline grew more and more attracted to him as the years passed, also coming to care for him as she did the rest of her friends, but both of these agreements were never discussed. They swept them aside for one reason or another, always managing to find an excuse as to why they weren't together. Klaus for one was out of them, and he felt that she should be too.

On every one of these meetings, Klaus held out hope that this would be when the subject would be breeched. That Caroline would finally admit what she felt for him and that Klaus would finally be allowed to give her everything she would ever want.

As he approached the restaurant, they were meeting at; he got a glimpse of her in the window. She looked different. Not her very self per se, but her look had changed. It was a little less small town and a little bit edgier, with her tight black pants and purple top, but she still had the same perfect curls and the bright face, smiling when she saw him approach her.

"Hi" she exclaimed happily getting up to greet him.

"Hello love" he replied kissing her on the cheek and inhaling her addictive raspberry scent. God he had missed her. It had been far to long.

They took their seats and just stared at each other for a moment; Klaus very intently, Caroline trying and eventually failing to hold back her grin.

"What?" She finally asked, breaking the silence.

"Nothing, I'm just admiring you, it's been sometime since I've seen you last. You look beautiful as always."

She gave him the same scoff he'd grown so accustomed to over the years but nonetheless turned back to look at him smiling.

"I um, wanted to see you for a couple different reasons." She said after a moment, straightening up, her face becoming more intent.

"Really?" He asked, brows quirking up in curiosity.

The waiter came to take their drink orders at that moment and Klaus was surprised when she compelled him to bring them their drinks and then leave them alone. She wasn't one to compel her way through life, and Klaus was wondering and also hoping a little about what was so pressing that they need not be disturbed.

"Yeah, Stefan wanted me to pass on a message he didn't trust sending over the phone." She said stirring the drink she had just been brought.

Klaus' face immediately turned serious at her comment. He knew what Stefan would be regarding. Over the last year there had been rumblings that there were witches looking for a way to open up the other side again. Klaus and Stefan had discussed it awhile back and decided to be vigilant but also felt that there weren't enough founding's for it to be more than a rumor. This meeting now had him thinking they shouldn't have been so quick to dismiss it.

"Apparently," Caroline continued, "there's a coven of witches who apparently found some artifact of that witch Qetsiyah's, which may or may not hold some type of clue but we don't know anything else. Bonnie's been looking into it and Elena and Damon are trying to track down where the coven is but Stefan thought you should be informed, because you know, these things tend to happen kind of fast."

"Interesting. And you trust the doppelganger and the brother, to find what we need?" Klaus had never trusted either one of them and was starting to think about sending someone else to handle this.

"Yes. I do." She responded adamantly, nodding her head. "One of us will let you know if we find anything."

Feeling as though there wasn't much left to be said on the topic. There was no point telling Caroline that he would look into it on his own, Klaus found himself smirking at her again, "And Stefan couldn't find the time to tell me this himself?"

Caroline and him locked eyes for a moment. The spark they had was definitely there and he knew she felt it.

"Well," she said seeming to shake herself out of a trance "like you said, we haven't seen each other in sometime and since we were both within the same continent, I figured we might as well catch up."

"Ah yes, and why are you in London Caroline?" Klaus asked the question innocently enough, but Caroline knew better.

Caroline had for a long time known that Klaus kept tabs on her, and knew what went on in her life, but she wasn't going to give him the satisfaction he was looking for.

"That's none of your business," she retorted trying to keep her voice playful when she began to feel…other feelings arising.

Klaus too was on the receiving end of _other feelings_. He had heard about two months back that Caroline and the mutt had finally ended things with each other after trying to make it work for years.

"On the contrary love," her statement angered Klaus. "I allow him to live because you asked me to. The fact that he lives and breathes, and that you have the option to be with him or to be here is at my discretion and therefore if you're away from him because he hurt you or because he's planning something again then that is absolutely my business."

Caroline stared back at him with a mixture of distaste and annoyance.

"If I were hurt or if Tyler were planning something I wouldn't be here."

"Again, on the contrary." Klaus knew this was escalating way too fast but him and Caroline were both stubborn and now that they had started, there would be no going back. "If history serves me right, you like my company best when you either need saving or when there's a plot in motion. Let us not forget your superb skills as a tool of distraction."

It was a stupid thing to say considering how long ago that had been and how much closer they had become since but if Klaus was being honest with himself he knew that when he heard news of her breakup with Tyler he had immediately hoped she would run into his arms. He thought her pride might keep her from doing it for a while but when he had gotten her call to meet here, he had kind of figured she was caving. Apparently not though, as she wasn't giving away anything.

"You know what? Caroline said gathering her things, "I came here because I wanted to see my friend, not to rehash the past that we have _both _already apologized for. If that's why you think I'm here then let me put your mind at ease, and leave." With that she threw a few bills on the table, got up and turned to leave.

Klaus sat there seething at the nerve of that woman for about five seconds before sense kicked in and he got up to chase after her.

"Caroline?" He called out seeing her walk down the street quickly.

He knew she could hear him and he tried again, moving quickly to catch up to her.

"Caroline come back here!"

When she turned the corner onto a relatively abandoned street, he took a chance and flashed in front of her, grabbing her arms so she couldn't get away. Caroline tried to turn but when it looked like Klaus wasn't letting her budge she stopped struggling and just glared at him, arms crossing across her chest.

Klaus was too frustrated to be amused by the angry expression on her perfect face so he lifted his hands higher up her arms gently trying to pry them apart. "Hey don't shut me out, talk to me. I'm sorry I assumed-

"You should be," she spat at him, but he was pleased her arms were loosening.

"I know. I was an ass, but I do want to make sure that you're alright."

When she didn't say anything he pressed on. "Are you alright?"

With a little less vengeance this time, she replied, "Yes, I'm good." And knowing now he had her back he gave her a smile that made her suck in her breath. The one she knew he saved only for her.

"Do you want to go back to the restaurant?" He asked hoping she wouldn't want to cut their meeting short because he had been an arse.

She shook her head no and his face fell before she looked back up at him with a small smile on her face, "Can we just walk for a little while?"

"Of course" he said offering her his arm. To his delight she took it willingly.

They walked in silence for a while, while Klaus tried to decide whether to push his luck or not by asking more about Tyler. Thankfully he didn't have to decide as she spoke for him.

"I ended it," she said suddenly. "We had been trying to make it work for a long time and it just wasn't anymore. I love Tyler, of course I do but I just felt like I had things to do you know? Places I wanted to go, people I wanted to meet and he, well at least right now he doesn't want that, so I ended it."

She wasn't looking at him as she said all this, so Klaus kept step with her as they wandered into Hyde park and stared ahead as he asked his next question.

"But you two have broken up before. Why is this different?"

"Because." She answered simply.

"Because…?" Lord this woman was frustrating.

"Because I can live without him, you know? Klaus didn't know but he was hoping she would elaborate. Thankfully she did.

"I actually came to the realization after I left him. At first I figured that maybe I would just take some time for myself, then I'd be placated and go back to him." She looked at him quickly to gauge his reaction.

Klaus just nodded so she carried on.

"Okay well anyway, there I am in the middle of Rome and I'm like oh my God. I'm here without the supposed love of my life and I'm totally completely fine with that. How is this possible? You're supposed to want to be with that person all the time and when you're apart you're supposed to miss them like crazy!"

"So you decided you weren't willing to live with someone who you could live without."

"Exactly! So as much as I love Tyler, and yes I am going to keep repeating that so you don't go do something I'll be mad at you for," he just smirked at that comment both of them knowing it would hardly take any provoking for him to find a reason to kill Tyler, "I decided I needed more, and please refrain from the "I told you so" I know is killing you not to say."

Klaus smiled again. "As long as you're aware I said this would happen years ago."

They continued on in silence for a little while, both admiring the beauty of the park at dusk until Klaus ventured another question, "So what now?"

Caroline stopped walking and turned to face Klaus, the smile now off her face. She took a deep breath before speaking. "I know you're waiting for me."

"I-

"Let me finish ok?" She rushed out.

He nodded at her so she continued.

"I know you want to be with me and yes, I'll say it, we have something but I just can't yet ok. I'm not asking for you to wait for me or to care about what I'm saying at all. I just, I don't know what I want right now and it would be a mistake to go from-

"Shhh love it's all right," he said holding onto her arms gently this time. "No one wants to rush you into anything. That's the beauty of eternity."

"Okay." She smiled at him again; Her beautiful, light, purely Caroline smile. They resumed their walking through Hyde Park, Klaus feeling perfectly content. No they weren't together yet, but at that point he knew they would be at some point. She was done with Tyler and she was figuring out what she wanted. It was only a matter of time before she realized it was him.

xxx

Klaus smirked in the darkness of his room, thinking of that day. At the time eternity had seemed like such a great thing. That at any point, she might show up at his door and he didn't have to worry about when that would be. Now that stretch of time was daunting, because she would never show up again. He had hidden that door from her but it was for her he reminded himself and it was with that disturbing thought that he fell into a troubled, lonely sleep.


	4. Chapter 4

In times of stress, duress, or worry, Caroline often found the best solution was to keep busy, and as far as Caroline was concerned, Klaus leaving checked off all three of the above criteria. That's why over the last two weeks Caroline had been more preoccupied then she had been in years.

The first thing she did when she got back from her failed chase to the airport was to make a list. She found lists to be useful in a myriad of situations. When she was planning a party for example, or deciding on where she would travel next or for per se when her idiot other half decided to be a hero and leave her in the middle of the night. These were all times Caroline found a list to be useful in organizing herself, and that was how operation "Find Klaus" came to be.

Once her list was completed, Caroline set about checking one thing off at a time. The first had been to contact his family. Rebecca was the first one she called. Over the years they had become close, Caroline even standing up in her wedding to Stefan after she had been the one to convince Klaus not to get mad that they had dared tried to get married without his permission first. Suffice to say, Rebecca owed Caroline. Big time.

Rebecca claimed to have no idea about any of this and told her that she would look into it and contact the rest of the Mikaelson clan, assuring her that, and Caroline was quoting here, "Nick would get his head out of his arse and be back by the end of the week."

Over the next few days, without any word from Rebecca or any sign of Klaus, Caroline went about making sure everything was perfect for when he got home, firmly believing in what Rebecca had said. She cleaned the house from top to bottom, which included cleaning out her closet, something Klaus was always on her about. She also stocked the fridge, liquor cabinets and freezer with all his favorite things, and finally she had gone shopping, buying all sorts of French lingerie in preparation for the copious amounts of making up he was going to have to do when he got back. Yes, she was fully prepared; now all she had to do was wait for the next few days until he returned to her.

When the one-week mark came and went, Caroline refused to crumble. Instead she became even more determined taking matters of finding Klaus back into her own hands and set about working on the rest of her original list. In addition to leaving him numerous more text messages and voice- mails, Caroline sent letters to all his different houses across the globe, thinking that he might have ditched his phone but if he went to any of his many residences, he would understand what she was having a hard time communicating over the series of one minute messages she was leaving him. She also contacted a few of the vampires she knew he kept in touch with but that had proved to be fruitless as they all played innocent. She had her suspicions that some were lying but knew that if Klaus had told them to not say anything, then they would keep their mouths shut out of fear and nothing Caroline could say or do would get them to change their minds.

Her mother had finally gotten back to her and told her that the license plate was tracked down two states over because the car had been abandoned on the side of the road just outside some small town two days prior. Caroline was on the next flight out.

She arrived in the town of Willistead the next morning to discover it was less of a town and more of a pit stop between two slightly larger towns. Hell, it made Mystic Falls look like New York City in comparison. That didn't bother Caroline at all though. All it meant was that she would have fewer places to look for Klaus in.

After stopping in what appeared to be the town's only general store, Caroline learned from the owner that there was only one motel in a 25-mile radius and she figured that was her best bet.

Arriving at the well-kept, but still less than stellar accommodations Caroline went into the main office to find a woman in her mid forties trying to put what appeared to be cases of soap bars on a high shelf.

"I'll be right with you sweetheart," she said from her place on the step stool.

"Sorry, what can I help you with?" She asked stepping down finally, her hands free.

"No problem," Caroline said brightly, "I'm actually looking for someone, I was wondering if this man has been here in the last week or so?"

With that Caroline laid down a picture she had of Klaus on the desk. She glanced at it as the women studied it. It was a picture she had taken of him last summer when they had been in India. He wasn't looking at the camera but had his eyes on the road as he drove. She remembered how he kept trying to block her lens, mumbling about how photography wasn't art. Caroline had finally gotten frustrated telling him she wasn't trying to be Picasso; she just wanted a stupid picture of him. Like most things with Caroline he had finally given in seeing the smile on her face when she finally got a good one. After that, he had let her snap pictures to her hearts content, never able to resist how happy the simple act seemed to make her.

"Sorry, Hon" the women said snapping Caroline out of her nostalgia, "but I've never seen that man before in my life."

It was at that exact moment of crushing disappointment that a scruffy haired man walked in carrying the post. He must have overheard Caroline's conversation because after looking down at the picture Caroline still had laid on the desk, he looked at the women across the counter in confusion.

"Martha what are you talking about? He was just here the other day. My God, woman no wonder this place isn't all that busy if the kind of service people get is one where the person forgets that they look like not three days later."

"I don't know what you're talking about Louis, I have never seen that man in my life," Martha responded annoyed.

"I'm sorry, but do you work here?" Caroline asked the man, interrupting his conversation with Martha.

"No, I don't I just deliver parcels from the post office here twice a week. I saw that man as he was leaving, I think. He seemed in a bit of a hurry. Honestly Martha, how can you not remember, he came out of room 6."

"Louis no one's been in that room all week except the maid three days ago to clean!"

Something clicked for Caroline in that moment. She asked her next question slowly, closely gauging Martha's reaction. "But why did the maid have to clean a room that wasn't occupied?"

All of a sudden, Martha looked confused, "I, I don't know."

But Caroline knew. Klaus had been here and he had compelled the woman at the desk to forget him. Klaus had never run into Louis though and that's why Louis remembered him.

After reassuring the two that it wasn't a big deal, Caroline got back in her car and started driving. So Klaus had been here and left three days ago. He had left in his car but ditched it just outside town, which either meant he had a different form of transportation or he had gone on foot. None of that information told Caroline which way he had gone though or where he was headed as the road he had left the car on split into two directions soon after.

Knowing she was out of her element trying to guess where he had gone, Caroline decided it was time to head home and call Rebecca again, hoping that maybe she had had more luck then Caroline was having at the moment.

Sure enough, the next morning when the doorbell rang, Caroline was greeted by a very pissed off Rebecca and a more broody than usual Stefan.

"Well Caroline," she said stomping into the house like she owned the place, her eyes going in all different directions as though she were looking for clues, "it appears the mystery has been solved. The reason neither I nor Kol knew of Klaus' temporary lapse in judgment is because while he took it upon himself not to tell us, knowing we would both severely injure him for being so incredibly stupid, he had no problem telling Stefan here."

Caroline looked at Stefan, immediately hurt. Without counting their time together in the twenties, and really who would with Stefan being all ripper like, Caroline had been Stefan's friend first. He was supposed to tell her when her boyfriend had ridiculous notions concerning their lives together. Caroline didn't say much though, knowing Rebecca would cut into Stefan far better than she ever could. Instead she fixed him with a glare as he looked away guiltily.

Stefan threw his hands up in the air in defeat at the two blondes, "listen it wasn't like he called me up to bounce ideas around for how to handle it. His mind was made up Caroline, he just wanted me to make sure I would be here to watch over you."

Caroline just spun around and scoffed walking into the kitchen.

"And to make sure you wouldn't tell anyone who would stop this insanity" Rebecca cut in. Caroline was thankful Rebecca was taking her side. If there were anyone who would help her track down Klaus it would be Rebecca.

Caroline poured herself and her guests drinks trying to calm down. She took a deep breath before continuing.

"Okay what about Elijah? I mean you said Kol didn't know but what about him?"

"Skillfully dodging calls, which means he's probably in on this too," Rebecca replied.

For the second time in the last ten minutes, Caroline felt hurt. She had always liked Elijah and until now she thought the feelings were mutual.

Seeing Caroline's face, Rebecca continued, "Oh don't look like that Caroline. Elijah is taking the moral high ground per usual and probably just wants to respect Niks's wishes or he believes that this ludicrous idea is in your best interest."

Stefan spoke up at that point also looking at Caroline. "I'm going to assume you're going to try and find him, not move on like he said."

"Yes she is, and you're bloody well going to help. Nick is much more tolerable with Caroline not to mention happier and I for one am not spending another thousand years with an insufferable brother, so what did he tell you that can help us find him?"

"Not much," he replied. "He said he would keep his phone with him for emergencies and-

Stefan kept talking but Caroline didn't hear much after that. So he did have his phone on him. Caroline had stopped leaving him messages when the voicemail had been full and she had thought he might have ditched it. Apparently she had been wrong though. He was hearing her messages and he was ignoring all of them. She tried not to think about the ones that she had barely made it through without her voice cracking.

Caroline excused herself soon after that, saying she was tired and leaving a worried looking Rebecca and Stefan to go up to her room. It wasn't a lie, really. She hadn't been sleeping at all and even with her vampire abilities it didn't make her immune to sleep deprivation. Snuggling up in what seemed to now be a much too large bed, Caroline couldn't help but allow some of the feelings she had been trying to ignore creep up on her. One of Caroline's biggest fears at this point was that maybe this wasn't as much for her as Klaus was leading her and everyone else to believe. That maybe he really was just sick of their life together. She knew he felt now more than ever, so maybe he cared enough not to want to hurt or, or atleast he didn't want to deal with the opinions of his family. By disappearing he saved himself from all of that.

No, Caroline thought, shaking her head. She would not allow herself to think like that. She knew him better than that and she knew he didn't do anything he didn't want to do. If he really hadn't wanted to be with her, he would have told her. She would not believe that he didn't love her. Needing reassurance, Caroline leant over and opened her nightstand drawer pulling out the letter Klaus had given her when he left. She sat up and began reading it for the first time since she had first opened it, never before wanting to admit to herself that maybe he really wasn't coming back.

_Caroline,_

_I love you. I want you to know that more than anything else I say in this letter. I need you to know that above all else that I have ever said to you for it is paramount. I love you. I will love you for as long as I live and breathe. And it's because I love you that I have to leave you sweetheart. I promised long ago to protect you, take care of you, give you everything the world had to offer but right now I can't keep you safe. I would love to say that in a few years I could or that all I would have to do is get rid of the next passing threat but we are both well aware they just keep coming and I will no longer risk your safety._

_I know you didn't sign up for this and I also know you've told me they don't matter but they do, Caroline. Seeing you upset and hurt over the actions of my enemy's or my response to them has been unbearable and I will not condemn you to some jaded fate with me love, so I will repeat this again, I love you. I know you will lead the happiest life after I'm gone and I want that for you. As always I want you to see everything the world has for you and just know I wish I could still be the one to show you. Please be happy Caroline, you know I am always looking out for you. I am yours as faithfully as ever. Be well._

_Love always and forever,_

_Klaus_

**Thoughts?**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hi guys, so of course thank you to everyone who is reading, following, favoring, and reviewing. Reviews are my addiction so thank you. I know I haven't done anything yet, but just a fair warning, this story is rated M and so next chapter after this is about to get sexy and by sexy I mean smutty so make of that what you will…**

Klaus walked into his room and it broke what little heart he had to see her like that. She laid facing away from him on the bed and she was crying. He had heard her try and muffle the sounds in the pillow and he knew by now she had gotten quite good at letting the tears fall silently but he still knew. Klaus had already dealt with the reason for these tears; a stupid, cocky, young vampire who had befriended Caroline in an attempt to get closer to him. It wasn't that she had been particularly dangerous, it had taken Klaus less than a minute to tear her heart from her chest, but it was that she had used Caroline to try and carry out a plot.

Nothing like this had ever happened to her before. Sure she felt the effects of Klaus having so many enemies but she had never been used like this. Walking up to the bed he climbed in and spooned her from behind, his one arm snaking under her pillow to hold the hand she was resting on and the other banding around her waist. They lay there silently for a moment and he heard her breathing start to even out.

"Is this how you felt when I used to distract you?"

The question surprised him. He hadn't thought about those days in some time and he had rarely thought about his feelings at the time. Hell, he'd been in denial he actually had feelings for a part of that period.

"I don't know. How do you feel?" He asked trying to avoid these questions. He didn't want to talk about his weaknesses. Not even when it came to her, and he certainly didn't want her comparing herself to the pathetic excuse for a woman he had killed this morning.

"Hurt. Betrayed. Angry."

Klaus didn't know what to say to that. Her voice had a scary note of finality in it. The silence hung in the air.

"So does that cover it? How you felt?" she asked turning to face him, her faced wet with tears, and her tone bitter. "Come on Klaus, tell me. Is that how I made you feel?"

"Stop it!" He flipped her back suddenly hovering above her, while holding both her hands in one of his above her head. "You are nothing like her. Do you understand me? She is-was nothing and you will not lay here and make comparisons."

He knew when Caroline was at her worst. Everyone had his or her own version of it. With Caroline it came in the form of either being insecure or occasional self-loathing, a throw back to whom she had been as a human before coming into herself as a vampire. Klaus knew enough about self-loathing and enough about Caroline to recognize the signs and he wasn't about to let her do this to herself.

They continued to stare at each other, neither willing to break until Klaus could swear he saw the moment where she let him in. In an instant her eyes began to tear up again and her face contorted in sadness. She closed her eyes as the tears flowed trying to hide her face, twisting it to the side.

It took Klaus less than a second to respond, sitting up at vampire speed and pulling her with him. Sitting on the edge of the bed, he lifted her onto his lap and held her to his chest as she sobbed.

"Shhh sweetheart, it's alright. No one's going to hurt you. It's all over." He kissed her hair and brushed her tears away as she continued to cry, holding herself to him by clutching at his shirt.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have let her into our lives, I just…"

"Shhh, I know angel, please stop crying, I'm right here."

Caroline came to her senses in that moment, his nickname for her a reminder that she was his light, salvation; she was not supposed to be weak like this.

Pulling away from his chest, she focused on controlling her breathing; in and out. He continued to rub her back and kiss her shoulder. She rubbed her eyes and by sheer force of will made the tears stop. She shook her head as though she were shaking it off.

"I'm fine, sorry I'm better."

The tough act didn't fool Klaus for a second though. She went to get up but he pulled her back against him, cradling the side of her head against his chest with his hand. He could feel her tense up as though the comfort he was giving her was too much.

Moving his hand under her chin, he turned her face so they could lock eyes. She took a deep breath when their eyes met as if she were trying to keep herself in check.

"You don't always have to be so strong."

She tried to lower her head but he wouldn't let her, holding her chin firmly.

"I know you like control as much as I do, but you are allowed to not be alright sometimes. You know that don't you? I'm here, I can be strong enough for both of us."

He knew how much she liked her strength, he liked it too, but she needed to understand that just because he was so jaded didn't mean he wanted her to be that way. She was meant to be light. He would never let her become like him.

She looked back at him, "I was stupid to let her in like that."

"No, you were trusting; you could never have seen that coming. Please don't think about it. It's over." She leaned against him

"You killed her?"

"Yes"

"You didn't have to. She was just lost. We could have helped her, I don't think she knew what she was doing."

"She was trying to take you away from me" he replied bitterly. He knew it would only have been a matter of time before she got hurt or was killed in an attempt to hurt him.

There was a brief pause and Klaus waited for her response. To tell him that she would never be taken from him. To reassure him but it never came. The silence stretched on far too long, before he heard her.

"She didn't have to. You got rid of me all on your own."

No, no this wasn't right.

"What, no Caroline what are you talking about?" This wasn't how this went. He knew this time. This was his memory. He would never get rid of her. What was she talking about? This wasn't how this happened. Why was she changing things?

"You got rid of me after you said forever!" She was getting upset again, standing up and starting to pace, "You always do this. You never think how it will affect me. Why are you doing this?"

Klaus just sat there looking at her dumbfounded. They went to sleep. That's how this ended. They were supposed to lie down and go to sleep. Why was she up?

"Love, come back to bed," he needed her to come back to him.

"No" She was backing away now. Where was she going? Everything was getting dark. He could barely see her anymore. He didn't know where to go or look. He could just barely hear her screaming.

"You don't get to leave me. You said forever and you lied so I get to leave. Do you hear me? You don't get to leave!"

Klaus's eyes flew open with a jolt. He sat up, looking around wildly for her. Where was she, where had she-oh. That's right she wasn't here. She was at home where she belonged not in some damn hotel with him… but she belonged with him! It didn't matter where so long as she was by his side.

"No," he said aloud.

No. If anything that dream was the perfect reason why they weren't together right now. People kept trying to take her away from him and he wouldn't let them. No one would take her from him.

He remembered that time. It was a recent one. She was starting to show how weary she was. After that incident she had stopped trusting people so easily. He had started to see what a toll it was taking on her.

Nights were no longer good for sleeping. He dreamed of her constantly and the more time he spent away from her the worse it got. At first they had all been happy memories. They started and ended just as they had happened and gave him a little reprieve from the torture he felt while awake, but lately they were something else. They either were troubling to begin with or they ended differently then how they'd happened. It was awful, but it wasn't just the torment to his mind keeping him up. That he could stand. What he could not tolerate was the physical ache of her being gone. It had been close to a month and he was losing it. His body physically ached for hers. He craved her touch, the feel of her creamy skin under his hands, her lips kissing him.

He had once told her that he would always be a starving man when it came to her. She had rolled her eyes, telling him to get some new material for his lines but the statement could not have been truer. As much as the ache for her wasn't going away, the thought of tempering it through someone who was not Caroline was neither appealing nor tempting. He didn't know if he could do it even if anyone else remotely appealed to him.

Everywhere he went he was reminded of her. At first it had been the cities. They had been to some of them together over the years, so he started going to places he had never been with her. Then it was other things. He would see a dress in a window that looked like something she'd wear; something he would have bought for her if they were together, so he would buy the entire stock and later burn them. If it wasn't the clothing it was her favorite flowers. She had so many. He would spot them being sold on the street or as a centerpiece in the hotel lobby. He had them removed. He saw girls with blond curls like hers. He killed them. If he didn't get to be with her then no one else would be happy either. No, that wasn't true. Caroline should be happy, even if it weren't with him.

Since sleep seemed like one cruel joke now, Klaus got out of bed and walked to where his pants were haphazardly thrown over a chair.

Grabbing his phone out of the side pocket, he pulled it out and dialed his voicemail. He lay back down and closed his eyes listening to her words and letting her voice wash over him again and again.

XXX

It had been a little over a month and Caroline was officially about to lose her mind. Nothing was working and she was no closer to finding Klaus then she had been that morning at the airport. Rebecca wasn't having much luck either and Stefan kept insisting he didn't know a thing besides what he had already told them.

As much as she loved them both, she had to admit they were getting on her nerves. Rebecca's saucy attitude about everything disappeared after a week and since then each and every day they tiptoed around her feelings more and more. She caught their worried glances at each other when they thought she wasn't looking, or she would see them disappear into rooms together and then immediately turn on some faucet so that she couldn't hear what they were saying. It was grating to say the least. She spent more and more time alone in her room, which probably wasn't helping her cause but if she had to look at Stefan's concerned face one more time she was going to smack it off him.

After a long day of planning with Rebecca about what to do next, she dove into bed exhausted and fell into a, very rare nowadays, deep sleep.

She woke up suddenly from another dream of him. The light coming into her windows told her it was morning. Sitting up she tried to slow her breathing. Her body was on fire for him, but before she could think about the delicious dream she had been having a voice sounded from across the room, which almost sent her into cardiac arrest if that were even possible.

"Do you need a moment alone sister?" There in the chair in the corner of the room sat a smirking Kol Mikaelson, and by the stupidly goofy grin on his face, she could tell he knew exactly what had been going on in her dreams. Normally she would have been mortified but she was too excited to see him.

"Kol!" She jumped out of bed thankful her pajamas were appropriate even if her thoughts weren't.

"Hello sweet Caroline," he said getting up and meeting her in the middle of the room.

She hugged him hard and she could tell it caught him off guard a little. As loyal as they were to one another, nobody would ever say the Mikaelsons were overly affectionate and that held even more true when it came to people they weren't blood related to.

"What are you doing here?" she asked pulling back to look at him.

"Well, Beckah's been a little concerned so I thought I'd come cheer up my favorite sister with my winning smile and flawless charm."

"I'm glad you're here Kol, thank you."

"No need, I owe you."

Kol's statement was pretty spot on. When Silas had brought down the other side years ago and some people had been able to come back, Caroline had made it her personal mission to save Kol. She had never agreed to kill him in the first place and she had wanted to do something for Klaus. This was of course prior to them being together, but still. It had worked out in her favor as bringing him back also meant all those he turned came back with him. It had given Caroline a number of vampires who all owed her a favor. Some of them were extremely grateful, while others Klaus and Kol had _made_ extremely grateful. Either way, the point was saving Kol had been one of the best decisions Caroline had ever made and ever since the two of them had kind of a special bond.

He was like the little brother she never had, granted he was a thousand year old vampire but his playful attitude and sometimes annoying pranks were everything she pictured a typical little brother would be. He called her his sister and she knew he cared about her as much as he did Rebecca.

"You don't owe me a thing, well except your life" she winked and smiled at him, "but seriously you don't have to be here. I know this isn't exactly your version of fun."

"Don't be silly. I wouldn't be anywhere else but with you, valiantly working to return my numb skull of a brother to you." With that he backed up a step and did an exaggerated bow, "I'm at your service."

Caroline wanted to cry. As much as Kol was playing around, she was actually really overcome with how him and Rebecca had put their lives on hold to help her, especially when they all knew if Klaus had any say in this, they would have all left her together.

Caroline shook off that thought as soon as it popped into her head. That would have been unbearable.

"Ugh, Kol it's all such a mess. We have no leads on how to find him and Rebecca and I are both running out of ideas. Has she caught you up to speed? Please tell me you know something."

"Unfortunately," Kol replied plopping himself onto the bed and waiting for Caroline to join him, "at the moment I haven't a clue. I checked some of his usual stomping grounds but they all came up empty. I don't think he's gone near them at all."

Caroline nodded from her spot on the side of the bed, "It's too predictable that's what I figured."

"The trick is to think out of the box. If we think about where he wouldn't go then we're thinking like him. Niklaus is going to be in the last place we expect to find him"

"But that could be anywhere" she whined.

"Don't fret, you have a regular Sherlock Holmes on your side. I'll even let you play Watson."

"Don't you dare-"

"Alright ruin my fun, but I do have a few ideas about where to find him or at least where to start."

"Well I'm glad someone does. Where do you think-" Again Caroline was cut off

"Patience. I need to hear back from someone first but in the mean time get dressed. Bekah said you're practically living in here. Were going out for some fun."

"Kol I really don't-" Caroline was shushed with a finger to her lips. She scowled annoyed"

"Before you attempt to get me to stay in this mausoleum of a house with you for the next eight hours let me explain something. If Nick left you because he wants to keep you safe there isn't a chance in hell you aren't being watched. If they see you out having fun, he'll be more comfortable and more likely to fall into old habits, therefore" Kol took what could only be called a dramatic pause, " he'll be easier to find."

"Honestly I'd rather him be uncomfortable and suffering as much as I am," she said bitterly.

"Well then think about it like this. He'll hear about you having fun with me and you know how he doesn't like to share."

Caroline rolled her eyes but she couldn't help but smile thinking back to the once or twice Klaus had gotten jealous of how close she was with Kol.

With a satisfied smirk, Kol strolled out of the room, calling "get dressed" just before he closed her door. She had to admit she already felt better than she had in days. Things were about to get interesting.

**Hey, just a small note on the whole Kol/Silas thing. I really wanted to bring Kol into this so I came up with that as a way to bring him back but I really want to stay as true to TVD as possible (no matter how annoyed I currently am with the show, cough cough pregnancy plot line) so there shouldn't be too much deviation. Thanks **


	6. Chapter 6

**Of course the longest chapter I write would be the smutty one. You've been warned. Enjoy and let me know what you think!**

Caroline walked into the mansion late that night, utterly exhausted from the last few days spent with Kol. As much as she hated to admit it, he had been right. It had been good for her to go out and clear her head.

Walking up the stairs, she thought about how much she had laughed tonight, realizing how she probably hadn't laughed like that in a really long time. It was something about Kol whirling wildly around the dance floor with a gaggle of random girls, while Stefan looked completely uncomfortable at their table and Rebekah got fed up with the both of them, opting to dance with Caroline instead. When Kol had grown tired of trying to pick up girls without using compulsion, he had come and spun Caroline around the dance floor. They had laughed, they had drank, and now Caroline was ready for bed.

As she got ready for bed, still reliving the day, she continued to think about how she felt happier than she had in awhile. After spending the first reassuring day with Kol, Caroline was ready the next morning to hear if Kol had heard back from his contact but Kol had coyly told her that he was working on a lead and that she should focus on having some fun while he was around, pointing out to Caroline that it wasn't going to happen once it was just her and "the old folks" as he referred to Stefan and Rebekah.

Caroline hadn't asked again since. She kept telling herself that Kol would let her know when he knew something. Until then, there was no reason to pester him. It would probably just make him delay on purpose. Yes, that was the reason, and it was far easier to think of that then it was to think of the other reason. The one she could barely admit to herself. That just maybe she wasn't asking Kol, or going out of her way to search for Klaus because these last few days had been a welcome reprieve. No, it didn't stop the ache that came when a song came on that they had previously danced to, or when she had been dancing with Rebekah and looked up but couldn't find his eyes watching her, but at least she had been focused on being happy. He would have wanted that for her.

So she indulged herself as she curled up in bed. Instead of thinking about how the dozen pillows didn't replace the feeling of his body next to her or how much she missed his arms around her she thought about how happy they made each other, how many times they had made each other happy in this bed…

In another lonely bed, in an entirely different town, Klaus' dreams persisted. Lately it had been the same one from a week ago, but always with a slightly different ending. This time had been the worst. It was foggy in his head but he could distinctly remember her trying to kill herself at the end. That's when he had shot up and rushed to his phone, putting it to his ear and letting her voice calm him down. The voicemails weren't as common as they had been. She had only called twice in the last two weeks. Once was to yell at him for ignoring her, which he laughed at and the second one- well the second one, he listened to for the hundredth time now.

"Hey its me, I don't know where you are but it's late here and I'm in bed…thinking about you," he could hear her sigh into the receiver, "I'm always thinking about you. I don't like this person I'm becoming okay, so you need to come back because I'm not giving up on us and if that's what your waiting for, don't hold your breath because it's not happening. Okay I love you goodnight."

He wasn't giving up on them either, but he sure as hell wanted her to. He wanted her to move on yet he knew it would be a while before she did, and waiting for that moment to come was the thing he most wanted and what he most dreaded.

Trying to get the dream still plaguing him out of his head he wanted to check in on her. He found the contact he wanted in his phone and waited impatiently as it rung.

"Hello?"

"Gary, it's Klaus, have you been doing what you were told?" Gary was simply a compelled vampire, told to protect her at all costs. Klaus had chosen him because he was a few hundred years old and definitely strong. He was also pretty controlled despite his laid back attitude and Klaus needed discretion.

"Yeah I spent the whole day following her around, kind of an exhausting task."

Klaus rolled his eyes not caring a lick about his exhaustion.

"You weren't seen were you?"

"Nah man don't worry I was out of sight plus she was way too occupied with her friend to notice me."

"She wasn't doing anything dangerous was she? If she did you're supposed to intervene." He tried to sound harsh and not let the panic seep into his voice.

"Nah, nothing like that, plus the guy she's always with looks like he could do some serious damage to anyone or anything who might try to hurt her."

Klaus smirked, "Let me guess; Brooding and handsome. Always accompanied by another pouting blonde?"

"Actually no."

"No?" his smirk disappeared.

"Yeah the guy I'm talking about doesn't have a blond around him except for yours. I know the two you're talking about. They've been around but not as much as this other guy. Lately, he never leaves her side."

Klaus had to brace himself on the arm of the chair to keep from crushing the phone in his hand. He had a pretty good suspicion about who it was that wouldn't leave her side but still he wanted it confirmed.

"Send me pictures immediately and keep an eye on her."

"Got it ma-"

But Klaus hung up before Gary finished talking. He didn't care. He was seething. If Lockwood was back, he would forget the promise he made to Caroline years ago and kill him and his stupid pack, and he would make it hurt.

His conversation with Gary had done nothing to calm him, only made him more agitated and upset. And that damn dream wouldn't stop playing on repeat in his head. He tried instead to remember the time, as it happened not as one of the many ways he kept dreaming it did.

XXX

"Klaus? Klaus wake up babe…it's morning."

Klaus began to listen to the gentle calls pulling him from sleep. It wasn't all that difficult when it was an angels call, mmm his angel, he thought sleepily.

The angel was persistent, starting to run her hands up and down his chest trying to rouse him from his sleep.

Klaus opened his eyes lazily to find a much happier and less dressed looking Caroline from last night straddling him and starting to leave little kisses on his jaw and neck.

"Good morning angel."

"Good morning," she said smiling up at him.

"You're up early, love"

She kissed hungrily down his naked chest, most of his clothes having been removed during the night, licking, sucking, moving her lips horizontally and then vertically, and essentially working him up until his breathing got harsher.

"You're so good to me," kiss, "and I just couldn't." kiss "wait" kiss "to tell you."

"The feeling is mutual."

He ran his hands lightly up and down her arms and torso. Klaus loved control but for the moment he was happy to let her spoil him. He didn't want to push her too hard after last night either, better to let her have her fun for the moment. When he knew what she was thinking, then he'd decide what it was he felt like doing to her.

He didn't have to wait long as at that moment she brought their lips together briefly before moving to whisper hotly in his ear.

"The thing is," he could hear the coy smile in her voice, "as good as telling you feels, this isn't about me. This is about you and how good you feel."

"Really?" He said smirking, hands going to hold her waist.

"Yes really, so I figure the best way to do that isn't to tell you at all…"

She moved to whisper in his other ear, "Its to show you."

Before he could even think about what that meant, she resumed her teasing path back down his chest, pulling the sheet back as she went and eventually revealing his very hard dick.

Intention clear on her face, her kisses were now moving past his navel and her fingertips were ghosting over his thighs, as he lay there helpless.

"Caroline" he grunted.

She lifted her eyes up to him, their eyes locking, both completely on fire.

She slowly crawled her way back up his body, never taking her eyes off of him. When she was almost eye level with him he sat up, forcing her onto her heels.

"You're much happier then last night," he observed stroking her hair back from her face.

"Well I had you with me all night, who wouldn't be happy after that," they smiled at each other, the irony being that Klaus was a worst nightmare to probably almost everyone but Caroline.

Caroline saw the smile slip from his face as quickly as it appeared. Ugh he was being way too serious worrying about her. She was determined to make him relax.

"You seem stressed Mr. Mikealson."

"Do I Ms. Forbes?" A slow smirk was spreading across his face.

"Yes, but that's okay."

"It is?"

"Yes because I actually specialize in relieving stress."

Moving herself up onto her knees and positioning her legs on the outside of his to straddle him once again, she leaned down and kissed him fiercely. Her mouth opened and he began to stroke his tongue in and out, mimicking much more carnal desires. Too soon though, she was pulling away, both of them panting from lack of breath. Their foreheads rested against each other and they locked eyes briefly before their lips crashed again.

Caroline started grinding herself into him, moaning into his mouth at the feel of them. He ripped her panties off of her, the tearing of the fabric breaking through the silence and spurring them both on. She cried out when his dick made contact with the bundle of nerves between her legs. He ran his hand down to the back of her thighs about to lift her onto him, more than ready to end the teasing. Again he went to take control but again she was having none of that. Instead she pulled herself off his lap to stand over him next to the bed.

"What are you playing at love?" Klaus could feel his control slipping. She was playing and wasn't telling him the rules.

She didn't answer right away, instead just played with the waistband of his boxers and pulled him to shift so he sat off the side of the bed while she stood in front of him.

"I just want you relaxed," she said quietly, standing just out of reach.

"Trust me I am, now come closer so I can give you what you need."

She shook her head slowly.

"No?" He asked eyebrows raised

"The only thing I need right now is you."

"You have me."

That smile was back, "Oh I intend to."

Before he could say another word, she was on her knees between his legs, her hands working up his thighs, her lips starting a trail upwards at his knees. When her lips made contact with the edge of his boxers she moved her hands under his thighs, pushing up. He got the message and lifted himself off the bed for her to grab the waistband and pull them off of him, freeing his erection.

Klaus watched as Caroline stared at his length and licked her lips slowly before going back to his legs. The teasing was too much. He couldn't take it. He went to grab for her but she caught his hands in hers and placed them back on the bed.

"Relax," she said pushing his chest back trying to get him to lie down, but the best she got was for him settled back on his elbows.

She climbed on top of him so she could rub her core against his length. Klaus groaned in frustration. He needed her, no more teasing. He flipped them in one fluid motion so he was now on top, grinding against her.

She leaned her body up towards him but averted her eyes as she continued to rub against him, "Let me take care of you, please. I need this."

Klaus understood in that moment. She needed to be in charge for a change. When people she trusted betrayed her, when she couldn't trust herself to make the right judgment call about people, she needed to know they were in this together, that she had some control over what happened to them, over their lives. He understood, and in that moment he would have done whatever she asked.

Cupping her chin to get her to look at him, he made their eyes meet.

"Tell me what you need."

She didn't respond right away and he took that moment to bring his hand against her wet core, cupping her. He dragged one long finger through her slit until he found her clit and began to stroke.

Her body began to twist under him, "I need, ughhh Klaus! I need control, mmm please."

"And what do you want from me?" he asked stroking her faster.

"Everything." She flipped them back over and moved to whisper in his ear.

"You're going to lie back and relax and you're going to finish right here in my mouth."

He followed her up as she moved back down his chest, until he was sitting up and she was on her knees again.

She kissed and licked up his thighs until he was about ready to beg. Just as he went to, she grabbed him by his base and put his tip in her mouth. She used the fluid at the top to wet the rest of him and when that wasn't enough she swiped between her own legs to use her juices to get him slick, almost causing him to pass out right there.

With him wet she went back to working him with mouth and hands. While one gently suckled his tip, the other jacked him hard, fuck he couldn't take it much longer. She ran her hands down and took more of him in her mouth, sucking hard as she began to bob her head.

He was heavy in her hands and full in her mouth, but she loved it. Klaus was nothing but attentive both inside and outside of the bedroom and she relished in any chance to return the favor.

Over the years she had learned his body well. Caroline Forbes was a perfectionist. She knew how he liked it. Hard and soft, fast and slow all at the same time could make him come in a matter of minutes.

She knew he was close when his grunts and groans became more frequent, breath ragged. She loved making him lose control and she wanted to push him. As she pulled back up on him by the mouth, she began to roll his balls in her hands. His hands were in her hair, pulling gently. Suddenly she dropped her mouth back down as far as she could go.

"Caroline," he grunted, "t-too much" and he fell apart, coming in hard spurts down her throat as she swallowed around him, prolonging his pleasure until he laid back on the bed sated.

XXX

Klaus was just about to relieve himself of the tightness in his pants when his phone beeped with a message from Gary. The vampire was sending him the pictures of Caroline and Lockwood, essentially deflating any discomfort before he had to.

Clicking on the attachment, Klaus began to scroll through the pictures becoming angrier and angrier with each new one he saw. There she was dancing, sipping Bellini's and cosmos, wrapping her arms around him. Before Klaus knew what he was doing his phone was crushed in his hands. He flipped over a chair and broke a table on his way to the door. Klaus knew what anger was but this was full on rage.

Caroline woke up to a knock on the door the next morning and was happy to see Kol at the door with coffee for her.

"Why are you up this early?" Save for the day he had arrived, Caroline had always known Kol to be much more of a night owl. She was always up way before him.

"And a good morning to you sister."

"Sorry", she said yawning and sitting up.

"You're forgiven," he said moving to hand her the coffee. "I just came to tell you that I heard from my lead about my brother."

"What did they say?" she asked sitting up straighter, all memories of sleep gone.

"Not sure yet, I'm going to meet him tonight. Not too far away, just in Chicago."

"Chicago?" She didn't want it to show but she dreaded the idea of Kol leaving.

Her poker face didn't work apparently because the next thing he was saying was, "Relax Caroline, I'll be back by tomorrow, and I'm only a phone call away if you need me."

"Do you want me to come with you?"

"Don't take this the wrong way, darling but I've been without any companionship save for my sister, brother in law and practically sister for a week. This won't be a Caroline approved type of trip in the least."

Caroline nodded, understanding. She had learned long ago with Klaus that old habits died hard and sometimes you couldn't change a person that much. If this trip was about hedonism, she would stay home.

"Well okay but just be careful."

"Now where's the fun in that?"

Caroline smiled as Kol left, promising to see her tomorrow night. Getting out of bed she figured she could probably use a shower. She was still somewhat hot after her latest dream.

XXX

Kol walked into his apartment in Chicago that evening, and flicked on the lights illuminating the figure sitting in the wing back chair twenty feet away.

"I was wondering how long it would take you to show up."

"We need to talk brother."


	7. Chapter 7

The tense silence of the room only lasted a second before an easy smirk slid across Kol's face.

"I see you got my message."

"If you're referring to the blatantly obvious pictures of you practically groping my girlfriend then yes I got your less than subtle message," Klaus spat back.

"Girlfriend, brother? And here I was under the delusion that the two of you had broken up."

Klaus was on him in a flash, pinning him against the wall by his neck, fingers tightening around his throat. He let out a low growl but Kol appeared unfazed save for the shortage of breath.

"I see I hit a nerve." He chocked out.

Kol smirked a little and Klaus, realizing his mistake, pushed off of him with one last forceful shove of Kol's head into the wall.

Turning away, Klaus went to pour himself another drink, not being able to handle Kol's smug face anymore. He had to remain composed. The more reaction Kol got out of him, the longer he would drag this out. He had always been a pest.

"Tell me brother," Kol said straightening his collar as he rearranged himself, "has abandoning her, for your selfish peace of mind been all you hoped it would be?"

Klaus laughed humorlessly as he knocked back his drink, "My peace of mind brother? Do I look at peace to you?"

"That is not-"

"No tell me" Klaus voice was escalating now but he suddenly didn't care anymore if Kol saw how desperate he was. Let Kol see him sweat. Maybe if he saw him worry he might behave a little more responsibly.

"What peace of mind have I gained as she runs around happily with you, putting her in as much danger as ever? I left in an attempt to keep her safe from our enemies and before the month is up, you are already putting her in harms way again. Taking her out where anyone can see you two together, making her your priority as though she was the only thing in the world you had any interest in. How does that look to anyone who was supposed to believe she had nothing more to do with us?"

"Is this about safety, or jealousy Nik, I'm a tad confused."

Kol made his way further into the room away from the wall he had been pressed against, nearer to where his brother stood.

"This," Klaus fumed stepping threateningly closer, "is about your blatant disregard for the fact that I have left in an attempt to keep her safe and you are reversing all of that by hanging around."

"And yet Beckah is not getting chastised for doing the same thing. I wonder why that is?"

"Anyone who knows us knows that Stefan would never stay away from Caroline, even if we were gone. Beckah remaining near Caroline is plausible for that reason."

If Rebekah and Stefan were around, Klaus knew she would be safer. It was another reason he had never told his sister. Besides trying to talk him out of it, he knew she would stick close to Caroline if she didn't know what to expect or where he was. Kol was an entirely different story. He was reckless and he didn't need Caroline engaging in anything remotely dangerous. He also didn't need to see his brother's hands all over her but that was beside the point.

"And I'm expected to abandon her as you have then?" The two of them were now almost toe-to-toe, their body language getting more severe as the conversation carried on.

"You are expected to want to keep her safe almost as much as I do. As I recall you owe her your life."

"Perhaps that is why I care about keeping her happy."

Klaus scoffed, "Yes, I'm sure. And it has nothing to do with _your_ happiness, this of course is selfless of you, baby brother."

"Perhaps it is."

Klaus hadn't failed to realize how happy Caroline looked in all those pictures. It fueled his jealousy and made him even more suspicious of Kol. Of course he wanted Caroline happy but not this soon. He was barely keeping it together, and there she was off gallivanting with his brother.

"This," Klaus said getting right in Kol's face, vein throbbing and teeth bared, "is nothing more than a game to you. What is it you're playing at? Riling me up, or is it about her, is that how you're keeping her so happy? By playing the charming, concerned brotherly figure. I swear if you try something-

"Hah you've truly deluded yourself this time Nick. Perhaps your photographer didn't truly capture what it is that Caroline is feeling. What is keeping that smile intact is that she still believes you're going to return to her."

"No doubt, a notion encouraged by you." The retort had lost a little edge as he couldn't help but be somewhat sated by that news. At least he was still able to get her to smile even from far away.

"Why should I not? The girl taught us about hope and now I'm supposed to be the one to crush her because you love her too much to. If you really wanted her to move on, you would never have written that letter. Yes I saw it," he added seeing Klaus' expression, "she keeps it next to the bed you used to share. You should have faced her, told her you no longer loved her, that you were simply sparing her life for one excuse or another, but no, instead you keep her in this limbo state. How torturous for her and peaceful for you."

"Watch your mouth."

"Admit it. You love knowing that no matter how far you go, you'll always have a little control, knowing that she is in waiting for you to return."

He would never give Kol the satisfaction of knowing that was exactly how he felt.

If Klaus did have any control though it was lost in that moment as he swung his fist to hit Kol in the jaw. He landed one good punch before Kol blurred to the other side of the room, working his dislodged jaw back into place.

"You're a coward" he spat, "You won't take away her happiness so you leave and wait for her to do it to herself. Are you waiting for her to turn it off, because trust me as soon as she realizes that you're gone for good, that is exactly what she'll do and you'll have only yourself to blame."

"Stay away from her Kol, or I'll take you away from her myself." The threat sounded feeble even to his own ears.

"No. I am giving her a life. Something to live for besides you, so either face her like a man or leave me be to fix her myself. Who knows brother, she may just have a taste for Mikaelson men."

With a wink he sped out of the apartment leaving Klaus alone in the dark again.

**Hey so short I know but I think it said what was needed, anyway reviews are my crack, and am I doing more smut, what do you guys want?**


	8. Chapter 8

Caroline stared at the phone in her hand like she didn't know its purpose anymore. She was rocking quietly on the swing in the backyard, a blanket wrapped around her. It was getting cold and fall was definitely in the air. Six weeks. He had been gone six weeks and Caroline had been finding it harder and harder to keep the faith that he was coming back. She was convinced that she would hear from him this week though. He wouldn't miss her birthday. Maybe he wouldn't come face to face with her but he would do something. He would call or send a gift, or just a stupid sign. All she had to do was make sure she kept herself alert enough to see it.

No he would not miss this. He loved her too much, he told her all the time and she wasn't going to let the last few weeks deter her from that.

Kol had returned soon after he left just like he promised and although he brought Caroline an armful of gifts from all her favorite stores in Chicago, he hadn't been able to deliver the one thing she really wanted. News.

"So?" She asked him, impatiently dancing around him while he went to his room to unpack.

"So what?" he asked teasing her, although she had been too preoccupied with what he might say to notice the lack of patented smirk on his face.

"Kol, come on what did this oh so mysterious source of yours say?"

"Not as much as I hoped lovely." They reached his room where Kol began to pull things out of his bag to put away while Caroline climbed onto his bed. "They were stubborn," he said continuing slowly, "and didn't give me a lot of information."

Caroline scoffed, "When has stubbornness ever stopped you before? Oh my god-" A look of horror passed her face, "you killed them didn't you?"

"No, but the thought did cross my mind." He said bitterly slamming his drawer with more force than necessary.

"So they had no information whatsoever?"

"As of last week he was still in the states, but he's moving around a lot because he knows that you're looking for him."

"That's it?" She asked incredulously, "That's all this mysterious source had to say. I hope you got laid Kol because otherwise this trip seems like a waste of time."

"Laid right into a wall," he murmured under his breath.

Caroline chose to ignore his comment, assuming she could live without a story of his sexual escapades.

"Um Kol?" She asked after a moment of silence "Did they say if he seemed happy or not?"

Kol turned to face her, "He can't possibly be happy Caroline, trust me."

"Why do you say that?"

"Because he doesn't have you."

XXX

One of the many thoughts that had crossed Klaus' mind prior to him leaving and even more since, were all the things he would miss once he was gone. Caroline liked to make a big deal of even the smallest things. There was not a single holiday or celebration that had passed without Caroline going to extremes. She had the originals travel from around the globe to be together on Thanksgiving, she organized fireworks at New Years; even the super bowl got major attention from Caroline. She didn't like football at all, yet she insisted they have a party or fly out to watch it every year. Blame it on the cheerleading she said. Yes Caroline love to celebrate the holidays, but birthdays- birthdays were Klaus' thing.

When you had spent a thousand years running from your hunter father and survival was key, you understood more about the value of each year and you wanted to celebrate it: your immortality, and your power.

But it was more than that. It was Caroline's birthday where Klaus had first really got to talk to her, where he had first promised her a world outside of Mystic Falls, where he had saved her. It was almost like another anniversary of sorts for them and he relished it.

They celebrated her birthday as though it was a national holiday. Some years they would have huge parties in her favorite city, sometimes they would fly to the most remote location they could find and they would celebrate curled up in each others arms, Klaus making her look at him as she screamed out his name in ecstasy. His favorite memories of her birthday though were the ones where he managed to completely surprise her.

_It had taken some serious advanced planning on Klaus' part to convince Caroline that he would be out of town on her birthday. She liked it almost as much as he did and knew how much he enjoyed it. Convincing her that there was a matter urgent enough for him to leave town and dangerous enough for her to not come along had been a challenge._

"_I don't understand what is so important that you have to leave the morning before my birthday," she whined._

"_Like I said before love, these vampires are old and not to be trifled with. If they want to meet tomorrow then I have to go."_

_She scoffed, "What do a few powerful vampires have on an immortal original hybrid?"_

"_Nothing. But on a young, beautiful vampire, who holds the key to my heart? Everything."_

"_Hmfff," she sighed looking down, "I hate being your week spot."_

_Dammit he didn't want to bring this up again. He walked over to her on the bed and cupped her face forcing her to look at him._

"_Caroline, listen to me. You, sweetheart are my greatest strength. Every bit of happiness I have is because of you. Any bit of good is your doing. You are plenty strong on your own. You have things in you, light that no one else has. That is your power. But more than that you are the only person who has any power over me. I fear your wrath more than full armies of vampires."_

_Caroline giggled at his words and he smiled back in return._

"_I'll be back as soon as I can, alright?"_

"_Ok." _

_He kissed her forehead and walked out the door._

_Caroline spent the afternoon shopping for what she knew would be an amazing few days once he returned from whatever he needed to take care of. She was in the middle of trying on dresses when her phone rang with Rebekah's number._

"_Hey, what's up?" she said looking at herself critically in the mirror._

"_Ugh! What's up is that my brothers are trying to convince Stefan to participate in a weekend of debauchery all while knowing that he has no where near that kind of control."_

"_What are you talking about?" she said deciding against the dress._

"_Klaus and Kol are headed to New York, where apparently there is going to be this massive party in Brooklyn where they can have a weekend of feeding on basically whoever they feel like, as if they were animals. It's disgusting and not only that but they are trying to convince Stefan to go with them._

_Caroline had been pissed at Klaus before, I mean the two of them were both stubborn, controlling, and frankly sometimes childish if they didn't get what they wanted but in that moment Caroline could not remember ever being so angry as when she heard Klaus was ditching her on her birthday to go on a feeding frenzy._

"_Caroline, Caroline are you still there?"_

"_Oh sorry Rebekah, yeah I'm still here, don't worry about Stefan, I'm suddenly feeling like making a quick trip out to Brooklyn myself. I'll make sure nothing happens." After I finish killing Klaus she added silently. "Where did you say this place was?"_

_Caroline walked through the eerily quiet path late the next night looking and listening for any sounds of vampire activity but wasn't having much luck. The address Rebekah had given her had been to a back entrance to what appeared to be some kind of park. She had never been here before and she probably would have been creeped out had she not been fuming. Oh when she saw Klaus. That man was going to rue the day he thought about pulling a stunt like this._

_Not only was it hurtful breaking their long standing tradition of amazing birthdays-this should mean more to him, but to put Stefan's control in danger, ugh what an ass! On the plus side she looked fantastic. Dressed in a super tight white dress, with her hair in loose curls, she decided it might be fun to dress up and make him more riled up because he wouldn't be getting any for a very long time after this. Call it spiteful but she wanted him to suffer._

_She continued to walk through the park although it just seemed to be getting more and more quiet if that were possible. She was just about to call Rebekah to make sure she had the right address when she saw him._

_He was barely more than a shadow in the distance but she would recognize that frame anywhere. Even in the dark she knew the outline of his strong jaw, broad shoulders and slender frame. He was facing her but she couldn't see his face. He appeared to be alone though and that confused her._

_As she got closer, she could tell he was standing on some sort of platform and it almost looked like he was smirking, the nerve!_

_She was about thirty feet away when she went to call out something mean; she knew he saw her, when suddenly a light went on and the next thing she knew the park lit up, revealing everything and it was so much more than Caroline could have ever imagined. It wasn't a park at all it was a massive garden. A garden now illuminated by about a bazillion little lights in the flowers. There was color and twinkling shiny illuminations everywhere. Candles floated in the little lake in front of her. A fountain bubbled over and there was soft music playing from some unknown speaker. She was speechless as her eyes met his._

_He walked over to her slowly, letting her absorb everything around her. Her eyes kept flitting around like she couldn't believe it was real. It didn't look real. It was straight out of a fairytale or a dream. _

_He watched as she worked it out in her head, a slow smile appearing on her perfect face as she continued to look around picking up on all sorts of little details she had missed like the table set for two in what she could now tell was a gazebo and how it was one of her favorite songs playing over the speakers._

_Finally her eyes went back to his._

"_Surely you didn't think I would miss your birthday did you?"_

"_It was all made up, Rebekah was in on this too?" She asked breathlessly._

"_Yes," he said reaching her. She was still in a little bit of a trance so he grasped her hands gently pulling her forward as he walked backwards towards the lit gazebo. She looked incredible and he wanted nothing more than to dance with her in his arms._

_Once in front of the gazebo, he spun her around slowly and pulled her back again into his arms. _

_Caroline noticed the music turning a little louder but she was still in too much shock for it to really register. He watched her closely. His beautiful, radiant, light in the dark who was smiling like she was the lucky one. _

"_I can't believe you did all this."_

"_I can't believe you actually believed me." He replied, "I was a little worried Rebekah might not be able to convince you to come."_

_Caroline just shook her head into his chest, as the swayed, "It's so perfect, look you can even see the stars out here."_

"_Look how they shine for you" Klaus whispered/sang in her ear, echoing the song playing in the background._

_Caroline moved to kiss him. The kiss was sweet and loving, their lips lingering before she pulled back a little to look in his eyes, "thank you."_

"_Happy birthday my Caroline."_

This year, there would be no dance, no trip, no Caroline. This year, Klaus would be alone while she celebrated her birthday and it was breaking his heart. There would have been a time where Klaus would have denied having a heart but since Caroline, that was impossible. It would have been easier to turn everything off. He had considered it but his fear was that if some sort of emergency happened where she really did need him to save her, if his emotions were off, he might not want to help.

After so many years of rejecting feeling, Klaus found it was easier to focus the hurt and loneliness into something else. Anger is what he chose. Anger that his brother had swooped in to comfort her when she most needed someone, angry that he was putting her in danger, anger that he couldn't be the one there to see her smile or laugh.

He got daily updates now from his compelled vampires, because it was the only way he could see her. He knew he was torturing himself by looking at the pictures of her out and about with Kol but he couldn't help himself. The messages had stopped coming this past week and he needed a reminder that she was still there. Every time there was a picture of her smiling, as much as it hurt, it reminded him why he was doing this, so she could have a better life.

It was taking all his strength not to call her or send her some kind of message, just to let her know he was thinking about her, but she had to let him go. Kol had been right. He couldn't keep her in a state of limbo. He had to do right by her and leave her be no matter if it killed him.

XXX

It was eleven o'clock on the dot and the party was in full swing. The house was packed with people, some Caroline knew better than others. It was clear Rebekah had went with the more was more strategy, thinking the more people and things Caroline had to distract herself with, the less she would focus on Klaus or rather the lack of Klaus or anything from Klaus.

The plan wasn't working though and it annoyed Caroline that Rebekah was making finding Klaus' message to her more difficult. She had spent the morning scouring and then rechecking the house for some kind of gift. She harassed the mailman for a letter, and then she spent the majority of the party going from guest to guest trying to pry information from them and after all that nothing.

Kol kept trying to get her drunk but she wasn't interested, worried that if she was, she might miss something.

Caroline wanted to go check outside but as she was about to make her way out the front door, Rebekah and Kol pulled her back so that she could blow out the candles on her cake, then there was eating the cake, then there was more mindless mingling, a sarcastic comment from Damon and by the time Caroline finally snuck upstairs to check her messages it was quarter to midnight and almost the official end to her birthday.

She sat on a chair in her room, the one he sometimes watched her from as she slept and he sketched her. She checked her phone for messages but besides her Mom and a few friends who couldn't make her birthday, there was nothing. Texts were the same. Even her call log could all be accounted for and nothing. She checked her email and every other media site she was apart of but still not a word. It was now five to midnight. Caroline curled up, phone in hand and waited for the call she knew had to be coming.

"He will call. He loves you. He will call," She kept repeating to herself like a prayer.

The seconds ticked by and she kept hope until exactly 12:01. Silence.

There was a second of complete numbness and then the floodgates opened. She threw her phone across the room and began to cry. She was so stupid to think he would come back. He wasn't coming back. She was alone. No no no. She curled up in the floor and sobbed and when that felt like too much of a memory she curled up and sobbed in a ball on the floor.

"Why are you doing this to me?" She half sobbed half shouted at a picture of them across the room. She pounded her fists on the floor like a child but she couldn't take it.

She was too focused on crying to hear the door open.

"Caroline you're missing the fireworks, Caroline?!

**So, what did you think? Thank you to everyone for the support so far and feel free to follow my tumblr; .com**


	9. Chapter 9

The sounds of the fireworks outside her window barely registered. She couldn't hear them over the sobs that wracked her body as she lay crying on the floor. After everything they had been through, all they had overcome, he went and did this. He had hurt her before but this was by far the worst thing he had ever done to her. Despite that though, she missed him. He had made her fall in love with him and then he had ripped himself away from her leaving her exposed and raw. What made it so horrible was that she didn't even hate him for it, because despite the evidence to the contrary she still believed he loved her, and she still loved him more than anything.

"Nooo" she moaned on the floor. The pain was unbearable. He was her other half, her partner, and her best friend. He had given her the world but she didn't want it without him.

Everything she had suppressed for weeks was bubbling up now. It was too much for her to take. And then somewhere in the deepest, darkest parts of her mind a thought occurred. It popped into her head and grabbed hold of her thoughts until for a moment the idea consumed her.

There was always an escape hatch for a vampire. A switch that could make all the pain she felt go away. As she cried on the floor, in a darker place then she had ever been, the thought that had appeared only moments before grew and grew until between that and her crying, the sound of her name being called barely registered.

All of a sudden someone was grabbing her. She whipped her head around to find the source of the strong arms that pulled her up off the floor and sped her to her bed.

"Kol?" she whispered confused as he laid her on the bed.

"Are you alright?" He asked distractedly. He was checking her over, looking for some type of injury. He would have to look a lot deeper, she thought bitterly.

She pushed herself up into a sitting position as Kol continued to look her over. He tried to reach for the hem of her shirt but she pushed his hand away.

"Caroline," he said sitting down next to her and cupping her face seriously, "what is it, what's wrong?"

She desperately didn't want to cry but saying it aloud-hurt more than anything. She breathed in a shaky breath before looking Kol in the eye, tears streaming, "He's gone and he's not coming back. I'm all alone."

A series of emotions passed across Kol's face, before Caroline had to turn away, not being able to take the pity in his eyes. She cried into her hands while he rubbed soothing circles on her back.

"No, no, you're not Caroline, see I'm right here." Kol was rubbing her back without a clue of what else to do. He wasn't used to having to provide comfort.

Caroline realized that and promptly took charge, curling up into his side, where he put his arm somewhat stiffly around her.

"Caroline," she heard him whisper next to her, "I need you to think about all the people who care about you. You have a mother and friends who love you and they would be devastated if you did anything to hurt yourself. Do you understand?"

Caroline knew immediately what he was saying. Turning it off was tempting. God, it was all she wanted but it would hurt all the people she cared about. She wouldn't do that. Despite what was happening to her, there was no use being dramatic. She wasn't alone. She had her mom and her quasi siblings and her friends. She was stronger then that. It didn't make it hurt any less though, if anything the pain increased.

XXX

"A vacation Kol, really?"

"Why not sister, she could use some sunshine."

"Were trying to cure Caroline of a broken heart not improve her tan."

"I fail to see why we can't do both."

"You are bloody ridiculous Kol."

And on and on they went. Carolina was at her wits end with all of them. Couldn't they see she just wanted to be left alone? She was tired, why wouldn't they leave her be? For the last week, every time she had cried one of them was there. Every time she wanted to sleep they woke her up either by coming into her room or with their constant fighting. It was suffocating and she was tired. She was so tired. She pulled the covers over her head so as to block out the light from the windows they kept opening the curtains to and fell back asleep.

"Caroline? Caroline wake up please. Caroline I am not asking you again." Rebekah sighed in frustration at the still form on the bed, "Caroline if you don't wake up, I'm going to go into your closet, take out all of your shoes and throw them out the window."

Caroline remained still.

Rebekah knew she was awake, but didn't have the heart to push her anymore then need be and since they both knew her promise of destroying Caroline's shoe collection was empty (Rebekah couldn't do that to the shoes), she left the food and blood on the night stand and quietly exited the room.

Walking back downstairs she found Stefan and Kol throwing back drinks, in what appeared to be some sort of conversation.

"No luck?" Stefan asked from the couch putting his arm out to sling it around Rebekah's shoulder as she sat down next to him.

"None. She hasn't moved in days. We can't leave her like this for much longer."

"I still think we should take her on a little trip," Kol said pouring himself a new drink as though he hadn't a care in the world, "There's nothing quite like a bar crawl through Mexico to make one forget their problems."

Rebekah just rolled her eyes.

"You know that may not be such a bad idea," Stefan said next to her.

Rebekah shot into a straighter position off his arm, "Please tell me you haven't lost your mind too. I already have a child for a brother and a practical invalid living upstairs, I don't need to worry about taking care of your mental state as well."

"Rebekah," Stefan said turning to face her on the couch, "everything in this house reminds her of Klaus. All his stuff is here, and so are all the memories of their time-shared together. How can she start to move on when everything around her is a reminder of him?"

"Caroline is not moving on! Nik will come to his senses eventually we just have to be patient. "

"Yeah, for how long?" Stefan retorted, "I called Elijah yesterday but he doesn't know where Klaus is either. I mean he could be anywhere in the world. You didn't talk to him before he left. He has no intention of coming back. I know how much you like them together and how much you like seeing him happy but if Caroline is finally dealing with him leaving, maybe you should too."

"So that's it? You two are just going to give up looking for him?" she asked her head whipping back and forth between the two men.

"I don't think he's coming back." Stefan said resolutely.

"So then we go to him. We find a witch and do a locator spell. He left his blood behind for emergencies, let's use it."

"Have you so quickly forgotten our time on the run from Mikael, Beckah? There are a million and one loopholes to that spell. All he has to do is leave his blood in a few different spots for that spell to go awry. Not to mention he knows were looking for him, and is still moving around far too quickly for the spell to ever pin point him."

"Well I am not giving up looking for him. And just because you have never liked your best friend and my brother together," she accused Stefan, "and just because you have some creepy unrequited feelings for her," she said turning to Kol, "does not mean you two are going to give up looking either. They both deserve to be happy and we are going to make sure that happens."

Sighing, Stefan threw his hands in the air. "Okay so how do we find a 1000 year old hybrid who practically wrote the book on running?"

"Yeah, that I don't have an answer to."

"Then you obviously haven't been paying much attention sister." Kol piped up, "He won't leave the U.S until she does. He won't take his eyes that far off of her."

"Great well that narrows it down to one huge country then." Stefan replied dryly, "let's pick a state to start looking in. Do you want to start with all the a's?"

Kol just rolled his eyes, "It might be easier to make him look for us."

Rebekah looked over at Kol, realization dawning on her, "Kol, that's brilliant."

"Okay, I'm obviously missing something," Stefan remarked, confused.

"You explain," Rebekah urged, "it was your idea."

Kol leaned forward smiling. "The states are far to big for us to guess where he is or to try and find him for that matter. However, if we know he will go wherever Caroline goes then we know how to catch him. The smaller the place we bring Caroline…"

"The easier chance we have of finding Klaus," Stefan finished, "Impressive, but how do we know Klaus is that close. He could just as easily have lackeys watching out for her."

Kol just rolled his eyes, "I saw him in Chicago. Trust me he's still very-"

"You what?" Rebekah shouted furiously, getting up ready to tear his eyes out.

Stefan reacted instantly, flashing in front of Rebekah with a finger pressed to her lips. He pointed at the ceiling and they all listened, someone was clearly moving around upstairs.

"Kol," she hissed, "tell me you didn't."

"Trust me it wasn't an enjoyable reunion, but yes he's watching. Why do you think I've been attached to Caroline at the hip. Nothing provokes our Nik quite like jealousy, so can we please figure out where it is were going. I'm thinking somewhere with a beach."

XXX

Pain. All she felt was pain and Caroline knew pain. She had been tortured a number of times throughout the years, more before Klaus had entered her life but even after they were together, it happened occasionally. Some vampire or group looking for a way to get to him would take her; hurt her, all as a means to hurt him. Caroline would have taken that kind of pain over this any day.

That kind of pain you knew would heal quickly. That kind of pain you knew would end. This- this wouldn't go away. There was no end to the dull ache in her stomach. A pain that felt like hunger. Hunger for him that she had been ignoring for weeks but had now hit her with pure force. It was the feeling of emptiness and longing all rolled up in a tight ball consuming her body, mind and soul.

Sleep was the only thing that comforted her. She would have the best dreams of him. Memories of them together, or conversations she pictured them having. But as she learned long ago, when it came to life, there was always a balance. If sleep had become her solace then waking up was her anguish.

She was standing in the back yard of their house in the English countryside. The day was unusually sunny despite the regular precipitation in the area. A small smile played at her lips. She could feel him getting closer before she could hear or smell him. It was instinct, her body becoming hyper aware any time he was near. She closed her eyes and tried to focus on where he was coming from. It had been too long. Taking deep breaths she tried to listen for him, her whole body alert now, but he was too good.

"Turn around" he whispered into her ear.

"Klaus!" she whipped around. How did he manage to sneak up on her every time?

"Hello love" he smirked back at her.

Not a second later did she jump into his arms and press her body as close to his as she could. If he had been surprised by her gesture he didn't show it, only spinning her around a few times in his arms, before stopping to look at her.

'You're awfully happy to see me."

"Of course I am." She smiled sadly "You left."

"Impossible" he scoffed like it was the most ludicrous thing he had ever heard.

"Klaus, I swear you left me." She tried to convince him as he put her down on her feet but didn't let go of her hips.

"And where pre tell would I go without you?" he teased.

"I don't know" she shrugged.

They walked in silence for a little while in no particular direction, Caroline holding his hand as tight as she could.

"When are you coming home?" she asked breaking the amiable silence between them.

"I am home." He replied simply.

"I mean really coming home."

Sighing he avoided her gaze, "I told you. In the letter I told you I couldn't. You were meant to understand-"

"Well I don't so why don't you explain it to me?" she stopped walking exasperated with him but he carried on.

"I can't."

"Well why not?"

"Because love," he turned to face her, "you're about to wake up."

"No!"

And just like that she did. She shot up in bed to look for him. She whipped her head around wildly, half clinging to her dream but as she felt more and more awake, she felt less and less hope. She was alone. He hadn't come home. It was just another dream, but like all the others, it was the best she could get and she went back to sleep almost immediately, knowing that as soon as she woke up again, all she would feel was pain.

It felt like only seconds before an impatient Kol was shaking Caroline awake. The curtains had been opened once again and light was pouring through them, blinding her.

"Wake up sleeping beauty…. Caroline I know you've watched both the movie and seen the ballet. If you don't wake up on your own I'll have no choice but to kiss you."

"Ugh seriously!" Caroline said shooting up annoyed, "Kol stop, I want to sleep."

"You can sleep on the plane," he said easily.

"What plane?" she asked eyes narrowing.

"The one you, Stefan, Bekah and I are boarding in just a little over an hour headed for Italy."

"Kol that is the craziest thing I've ever heard."

"I know!" he said shaking his head seriously, "Airports suggest you should be there at least two hours prior to boarding. Were cutting it close, you better get a move on."

"I'm not going!" she shouted at him, pulling the blankets back up around herself.

"Oh sweet Caroline." He rolled his eyes, smirking, "There are two original vampires and a former ripper in this house. You're getting on the plane. Whether it's with a broken neck or not is up to you."

The two of them had a stare down for a good five minutes before Caroline surrendered, knowing he wouldn't back down. Kol's stubbornness rivaled Klaus' and she wasn't really up for getting her neck broken.

"Fine."

"Good, glad that's settled, now get dressed and packed," he said getting up and turning to leave the room, "Were leaving in 15 minutes."

"Arrrhh seriously!" Caroline tossed the blanket aside and made her way to her closet cursing everyone she knew the entire way. After haphazardly throwing some things in a suitcase and getting dressed in a pair of jeans, she made her way down the stairs.

"Here," she said looking at the three of them standing awkwardly in the entryway, "Load that up. I'll be out in a second."

To her immense relief they all nodded silently and started to make their way outside with her bag. She waited until they were gone to walk towards the back of the house. She took a deep breath as she approached the heavy closed door. She hadn't been in here since before he left.

Reaching out, she found that the handle was surprisingly locked. She snatched her hand away quickly and swallowed. He probably just locked it before he left because he didn't want anyone snooping around. That's the reason; don't get your hopes up she chided herself.

The only other time Klaus locked the door to his studio was when he was working on something he didn't want her to see, usually paintings of her, but no that couldn't possibly be it. He was gone and that was it. Don't let yourself be even more disappointed, remember your birthday last week she reminded herself.

She took another deep breath and put her hand back on the handle. With one forceful twist, the handle snapped off in her hand. She pushed the door forward and stepped into the room.

The moment she looked around, she saw it and her breath caught. There it was. In the center of the cluttered room stood an easel with a huge half painted canvas on it. She didn't need the finished product to know what it was.

The two of them had been in Monaco and she was leaning over a railing on the side of one of the cliffs. Behind her, there were rows of colorful buildings and flowers, and in front of her was the sea.

She didn't need it to be finished for her to recognize that it was the most incredible thing he had ever made. Every detail was planned from the petals of the flowers around her to the little details on the boats off in the water. All outlined in pencil, with little ticks and other markings for size proportions. Some parts of it were already in the process of being painted like the sky and parts of the landscape but the majority of it was unfinished.

Caroline moved closer to observe it and began to look at how he had drawn her. She looked beautiful, radiant even if only sketched in pencil, far more beautiful then she actually was. This was a common theme in his interpretations of her. It was how he saw her. He tended to diminish all her flaws and highlight her most beautiful features.

The thing that really caught her eye though was the part that was yet to even be fully sketched in. Caroline could see it was a second person. Someone standing behind her, their face directed at her, but she couldn't make out the vague features. Looking down at his worktable she saw some photographs next to his brushes.

She started to flip through them. There were a few of the landscape he was painting as well as some of the sea from different angels, none of her it seemed, typical that he would draw her from memory. None of that was out of the ordinary until she reached the ones of him. Two were like mug shots. It was just him facing the camera at different angels from his chest up. She continued to flip through until she saw the last two in the pile. They were pictures of her looking at him. One had them smiling at each other at a party, the other was him cooking something in their kitchen while she watched him. She didn't remember either picture being taken but she realized who stood in the painting with her. It was him.

They had once talked about how hard it was for artists to paint themselves, especially artists with a tendency for self-loathing. She had asked him why he never drew or painted himself either on his own, or within the art he did of her.

"I would never be able to get it right." He replied, "People can never see themselves properly. The way others see us goes a long way in shaping the view we have of ourselves."

Caroline wasn't a mind reader but she knew what he wasn't saying. People had looked at him with almost nothing but fear, terror, and loathing for his entire life. That had to have affected his self-perception.

"Well, if you ever do decide to paint yourself, which I think you should, as you're wasting your talent by not, just think of yourself through my eyes."

She watched as he froze for a moment, before letting the masque he often wore for almost everyone but her slip easily back on his face.

"And what would I see if I did that, hmm?" he asked teasing, but she knew it was a loaded question.

"Well when you're not being a complete pain, you're basically perfect." She walked closer to him until she could reach up and cup his face forcing him to look her in the eyes, "you're strong and you're resilient and so smart to the point of annoyance."

She smiled and he smiled back a little so she continued, "you take such good care of me and you became the man I always wanted to believe you were capable of being. You love your siblings and you love me more than I ever thought anyone could love me and I love you."

He closed his eyes as she brought their lips together softly. He kept them closed as they rested their foreheads against each other, "So much. Don't forget that," she whispered.

It was such a waste to not finish this. It was beautiful and sad all at the same time. He was finally trying to paint himself and using the photographs to try and capture how she saw him, just like she told him to. He needed her to see himself properly, even with the pictures he had struggled. Oh Klaus, she thought, what are you doing right now?

She didn't want to look at it anymore. She left the studio quietly and made her way out into the waiting car, realizing for the first time that maybe he was suffering more than she was.

**And there it is! I know it took me a little longer to update but the writers block has been a killer. Thank you so much for all the support, especially the last few chapters, the comments have been really thought provoking and just really encouraging so thank you. **

**If anyone would be interested in helping me to either beta or bounce ideas off of for this story, could you private message me? I could use the help.**

**XOXO**


	10. Chapter 10

Okay so welcome back! I am so sorry for how long I have been absent from this story. Truthfully I just had to step away from it, because I had no clue where I wanted to go with it and I just had a lack of inspiration. If you've stuck around this long and still want to give it a chance then I thank you from the bottom of my heart.

I hate when authors abandon their stories, because it's unfair to the readers who have supported it so let me say it will never be abandoned but I am really not sure how often it will be updated either. I am slowly coming back to it, and am taking my time figuring out where I want the rest of the story to go. If you have any ideas or suggestions feel free to let me know. I find huge inspiration in your input.

This chapter would not have gotten written if it weren't for the help of Sadsunflowers who I owe a huge thank you to. She has been the driving force behind it being written so much love to her!

I have been writing an AH/AU story lately, which is where most of my attention has been. It's called "Take Care" and I would love if you wanted to give it a chance too! Okay guys enjoy and thank you!

Caroline took a deep breath and inhaled the salty air around her, allowing it to invade her heightened senses. It cleansed her like a body scrub to her insides, washing away the stifled air of her house and the stuffy air on the plane that she had been surrounded by in the past weeks. She wasn't sure whether it was the change of scenery in general, or that they were staying in a gorgeous villa on the coast of Italy but Caroline had been carrying around this strange feeling she couldn't quite place since they arrived.

Maybe it was the beautiful weather or the gorgeous villa they were staying in, oh hell maybe it was the pasta, but for some reason, a week after arriving in Italy she was beginning to feel like herself again. Maybe this trip was what she needed to wake herself up out of her Klaus induced haze.

From the all consuming focus towards his return to the all powerful rage and hurt she had felt post her birthday seemed to have dimmed to a dull ache she carried everywhere. Despite that she could feel herself bubbling up under the surface of herself, eager to break out from beneath the self imposed bath of exile she had found herself in. Maybe not emotionally, but in a physical sense she had moved on. It had only taken a few days in Italy for her to decide that this was a good place for her to be in and had quickly set plans in motion to make it a more permanent decision.

Eager to let go of the last bits of control she had over her life, and curious to explore what it was like to simply go with the flow, she had left Kol to decide where they stayed, her only stipulation being that it was no home she and Klaus had already lived in. She had to give Kol credit, he had picked a beautiful location. They were staying on lake Como in an eighteenth century villa, which was allowing her plenty of time for tanning and plenty of space from the other originals and Stefan. It was nice to feel she had some breathing room.

Kol and Rebekah seemed completely at ease in Italy and more comfortable in the old and spacious house rather then the designed to perfection space of the mansion her and Klaus had shared. She knew they meant well over the last few months and was happy they were happy.

Walking out onto her terrace, she could see that Rebekah and Stefan were headed out on a Vespa together into the town that sat behind their villa. Rebekah looked contented and so did Stefan. It sent a little pang of jealousy through her to see them so delighted by each other but then she reminded herself that it had taken Rebekah over a thousand years to find happiness and Stefan countless mistakes and losses before he finally became and accepted the person he was today. That thought sent the flare of envy off into the pit of her stomach where she housed that dull ache in. There it was manageable.

She waited until they were gone, not wanting to disturb them. When they left she walked down to the water and began to walk with her toes touching the edges of the small tide. She had forgotten how much she loved the water. Sometimes she used to tease him, that the ocean was the only thing more powerful then him.

"_Not at all true love." He scoffed as they walked hand in hand across a sandy beach._

"_Really?" she challenged, eyebrows raised._

"_That's right. Because not even oceans could keep me away from you."_

"_You'd swim an ocean to get to me huh?"_

"_For you, I'd swim across every ocean on this planet. I will never let anything or anyone tear us apart. Never." He stopped walking and Caroline followed suit, turning to face him. All the things happening to them lately had begun to take their toll and lately she'd been feeling unsure. Not of them of course but more of herself; who she was becoming amidst everything, and she supposed who he was allowing her to become as well. It didn't change how she felt about him, not by a long shot but it was a change nonetheless._

"_Promise me Klaus." She said looking him in the eyes, "Promise me that all the bad stuff lately won't change us. We'll still be us at the end of the day." And I'll still be me she added to herself silently. It wasn't like her to plead like this with him, she hated the desperate edge her voice took on but she missed how things had been and she wanted it back._

"_When this ends," he said with a sigh taking both her hands, "whenever this ends, we will still be us… whatever that comes to mean."_

_She took his words to further prove they were changing as a couple and it infuriated her to no end. _

"_Stop! If you don't know what it means to be a part of this relationship then your promise is empty and I'm not accepting it."_

"_Sorry love, why don't you tell me what it means and then I'll promise." He requested with a smirk, recognizing her confusion and wanting to tease her a little before correcting it._

"_If you don't get it by now then you never will," she said with a final eye roll. She turned away from him but he got there first._

"_Don't turn your back on me," He said it quietly but sternly. It was silent for a minute before he continued. "That is what "we" means. We don't turn our backs on each other."_

"_Is that all it means to you?" She asked quietly "Loyalty?"_

"_No. It's more then that. It means forever, because I am never letting you go. When all this ends…" he said spinning her so her back was pressed flushed against him, with her hands in his, wrapping around her, so they were entangled in each other. He kissed her once behind the ear and she could feel his smirk. He brought their entwined left hands up into view._

"_When all this ends" he repeated, twisting their left hands around in front of their eyes, "We will do something about this." He felt Caroline's body freeze, too stunned to ask if he meant what she so hoped he meant._

_She tried to twist out of his hands so she could see his eyes to confirm it but he held onto her tightly, not letting her move from his chest._

"_Yes." He whispered in her ear. "I'll make you mine in every possible way and you will make me yours, officially."_

"_You've never wanted it before. Why now?"_

"_Not now. Not when I am so desperate to keep you happy amidst everything else, but soon."_

"_I am happy," she protested, still locked with her back to his front._

"_We don't lie to each other sweetheart, please lets not start now."_

"_Is that why you're asking, because you want to please me?"_

"_No that is precisely why I'm not asking. I am telling you. I am telling you that at the end of the day we will be us, but more so because we will be man and wife and then all the things you haven't been letting me know, all the worries you keep trying to hide from me over a series of pointless attacks on us, won't matter so much."_

"_We can't just get married because we're both scared of the other one of us being taken away. That's not a reason to get married."_

"_Of course it's not, particularly because I don't fear you being taken from me. As I said before love, I won't let anyone tear us apart."_

No but you've always been your biggest enemy and you never considered that you'd be the one to do it yourself she thought coming out of her memory and back to the present.

"I see someone's out of bed."

Caroline turned to find a shirtless Kol had walked up next to her looking as though he were preparing for a swim, completely pulling Caroline from her bitter thoughts.

"It's too beautiful out to be cooped up inside. How'd you manage to get this place by the way? You know what never mind I don't want to know whom you had to compel. I'm going to play blissfully ignorant."

"I'm offended you think that low of me darling. For your information I rented it from a realtor."

"Are you ever going to tell me what were doing in Italy of all places?" she asked beginning to walk with him along the shore.

"Trying to lure my brother back to you of course."

Caroline gave one of her infamous scoffs. "He's not coming back Kol. He missed my birthday. That's as much a sign as I need to know he's done."

"Caroline as much as it pains me to say this, you know that no matter how misguided his attempt, he is doing this for you. He's trying to let you go and trying to let you move on so you can have a safe and happy life. The question that remains is do you want to?"

Caroline again went back to contemplating the dull ache in her stomach. She could be whole without Klaus if she really tried. She knew she was strong enough for that. She could exist without him and she wondered if this could be her life from now on. It could be. She could exist without him, because she had for years before she finally broke down and admitted to being in love with him.

The problem lies in if she could really go back to whom she was even if he wasn't with her and that's where her plan faltered. She couldn't be the person she had been prior to Klaus because that person no longer existed anymore. He had transformed her very soul. Her eyes had been widened, her mind sharpened, and her heart expanded to encompass more love for one person then she ever thought possible. It was like inflating a balloon with helium and then expecting it to stay in the air after you poked it with a pen, but she was no balloon. She was strong and she could go on without him. She was strong enough to carry a broken heart because she knew he was carrying one too.

"Caroline I can track him down." Kol affirmed. "I can move you from spot to spot until finally we're in a few mile radius of each other. He's keeping tabs on you and you know that. We can lure him in, if that's what you really want."

"I don't know what I want anymore." She replied more confused then ever. "I need some time to figure it out. Can we just stay here for awhile?"

"Of course darling."

"Why don't we spend the day on the beach? You can go topless." He said wiggling his eyebrows suggestively, back to his usual antics.

"No lets go into town." She replied ignoring his teasing. "I need some human interaction, and I haven't practiced my Italian in months."

"As you wish."

Caroline and Kol spent the next few hours gallivanting through the little hillside town. Not only had Caroline not practiced her Italian in quite some time but she also hadn't fueled her shopping addiction in awhile and the quaint local shops were proving to be the perfect drug.

Kol knew of a little pizza place he wanted to take her to off the main drag and they began making their way towards it.

"There's a short cut the back way," he motioned and Caroline followed him into an alleyway.

The alley was dark, the buildings allowing no light to enter in from either side, It wasn't a straight route. Years upon years of buildings had the pathway twisting and turning quite a bit before they could reach the clearing of the next road. They walked through it, Caroline laughing a bit at a joke Kol made.

Her laughter dies down about two seconds before the vampires above them spring their attack.

There were half a dozen at least. They swooped down from the above buildings and swiftly set about trying to grab Caroline. Their plan was flawed and Caroline spotted their strategy in an instant; four to distract Kol, and three to grab her.

Many years with Klaus had more then overqualified her for something like this. She dodged and skittered around the three meant to grab her, blurring herself from wall to wall, back and forth but never quite leaving the alleyway or Kol's sight.

Kol on the other hand, snapped the necks of the first two and severed the heads off the other two before the five-minute mark was up.

Caroline who was still dodging saw this out of the corner of her eye and risked an attack of her own, turning suddenly on the one who was following closest behind her and ripping out his heart as she turned towards him.

The one blocking the direction where she had been headed saw his chance and grabbed her from behind as the one following the now deceased went for her front. Luckily Kol got to her before he did, body slamming him into the wall and circling to rip the left arm off of the one holding Caroline.

She finished him off while Kol dealt with the last one.

"What do we do with the ones with the broken necks? Drag them back and question them?" she asked trying to catch her breath.

"No, better not to leave any loose ends." With that he ripped the hearts out of the chests of the two unconscious vampires. Caroline barely flinched.

"Let's get out of here" he motioned and they sped out, not stopping until they reached the hillside villa.

XXX

Hearing that Caroline had been whisked away to Europe by his meddlesome siblings had had Klaus angry. Actually seeing that Caroline had actually left, that had him in an absolute rage.

He stood in front of the now abandoned house with what a passerby might describe as cool detachment etched across his face. Someone who really knew Klaus though, would know so much better.

He knew he had left her first. That's what the rational part of him was saying. You left her. She never would have stayed here for long anyway. You knew this day would come. That's what the rational part of him said. The other part of him, the not so rational part which was usually present whenever he thought of Caroline was enraged at his siblings for moving her from somewhere safe, distraught that he wasn't sure exactly where she was and devastated that she had left their home.

He unlocked the front door and walked in slowly, on the lookout for anyone who might be lurking. He wouldn't put it past Kol or Rebekah to stick around for a confrontation. When he could neither see nor hear anything he stepped farther into the home they had shared and shut the door.

Klaus swallowed, the gravity of the situation finally hitting him. She no longer lived here. Boxes littered the front hall, half packed and the house was eerily quiet. He walked his way through a good chunk of the main floor to find similar things. The art was taken off the walls and covered by sheets on the ground. The fridge was empty and most items were cleared off the shelves.

He knew approximately where they were. He had had someone track their flight. It wasn't a question of location, he could find them in an instant and he wasn't surprised. The reason for leaving was really what bothered him. He figured that either Kol was planning something or Caroline really was giving up and moving on.

The question if this was Kol's doing and he had very little doubt that it was, was why. If it were to draw Klaus in, then Italy was a crap choice. Klaus could easily keep his distance in a country that size. A vacation wouldn't warrant the packing up of the house though.

Of course a part of him was concerned that Caroline really had chosen to move on. He reminded himself for the hundredth time that this is what he had wanted. He should be grateful she hadn't held out hope a little longer but of course his relief was tinged with sadness. Was she really over him?


End file.
